


Gankutsuou Reborn

by roryheadmav



Category: Gankutsuou (The Count of Monte Cristo)
Genre: Gankutsuou - Freeform, M/M, Non Consensual, Prostitution, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2005-08-20
Updated: 2006-04-30
Packaged: 2017-10-06 09:44:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 18
Words: 62,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roryheadmav/pseuds/roryheadmav





	1. The Nightingale In A Gilded Cage

 

La Decadenza was packed to the rafters, the crowd an odd mixture of the genteel and the unsavory, who for once were attired in the finery of the rich. It was a special evening after all. A talented concert pianist and her tour manager were esteemed guests that night, both eager to listen to the voice of the 'Nightingale of Luna.'

The young singer peeked nervously through the curtains from backstage. Sure enough, the beautiful pianist was seated at the table closest to the stage and the grand piano. Tintoretto, the owner of the nightclub, was fawning over the woman and her manager in the hopes that she would accompany him on a song.

"If he is as good as they say," he was disheartened to see her mouth the words with a haughty air, "I see no reason why not."

His hands tightened around the music sheets he held, songs that the woman played in every concert and that Tintoretto had forced him to learn. Most of them were solos from famous Paris operas. However, what had caught his interest was a song with no title and no words – a composition of the pianist herself.Somehow, the music score had been mixed with the others that the manager had given to Tintoretto. On a rare moment of privacy, for the depraved Italian would never let him out of his sight, he snuck down to the empty club from their suite upstairs, and played and hummed along to the sad melody on the piano for the entire evening. Great was his love for the song that he found himself writing the lyrics to it.

By the light of the gas lamp, he read the title he had carefully scribbled at the top of the sheet music – "We Were Lovers". He feared that the young woman would be angered by his presumptuousness. But if he were to sing one song for her this eve, it would be this.

As he peeked through the curtains once more, he saw Signore Gasparde raise his glass in a toast to him, followed by a red, wet tongue that licked his fat lips with utter lasciviousness. He yanked the curtains close in an instant. He had completely forgotten that Gasparde had paid handsomely for his other 'services' after the show.

It was this that made his life at La Decadenza a miserable existence. True, he was known by all as the 'Nightingale of Luna', but he was also a common whore. Although gifted with an angelic voice, he was cursed with a physical beauty that was exotic and exquisite. His skin was tinged a light shade of blue with pointed ears, characteristics indicating that he was of Janina heritage, although he knew absolutely nothing about that alien race or of his past. Long lashes fluttered over mismatched eyes – the left gold, the other blood red. Add the long ebony mane that reached down to the curves of his buttocks, and you have an unearthly beauty that was most sought after by the rich and powerful of Luna…for as long as they paid the price that Tintoretto demanded.

He held his shoulders tightly to quell his shudders, his eyes squeezing shut. _No, I will not be trapped in this gilded cage forever. _With firm resolve, he glanced at the pianist once more. _You shall see how good I truly am, Madam. Once you realize the power of my voice, it shall be you who will help me gain freedom from this accursed place._

A strong hand suddenly gripped his arm, wrenching him around so that he faced his owner and master, Claudio Tintoretto.

"Don't fuck up, my precious," Tintoretto hissed in his ear, lapsing into the crude language of the lowborn. "That crowd out there paid well to hear you sing. Let's not disappoint them, shall we?"

"I hope you had spoken to Signore Gasparde as I had requested you to," he told the Italian in turn. "I've heard that he contracted a disease from one of the whores at Villa Cascali. I will not be laid up in bed for close to a month because he refused to wear protection."

"I did not know that." Tintoretto had been furious at that time when he found out that he could not bed his beloved whore. He shrugged casually, playing with the curling tip of his bushy mustache. "I'd better return his money then and inform him that you'll be entertaining special guests. With the full house we have tonight, we could do without his money this time."

"Thank you," he said in visible relief.

"However…" Tintoretto pinched his prized songbird's chin between his fingertips. "This means that I would have you all to myself later on. I expect you to make yourself pretty for me, my sweet."

Although a rough and insatiable man in bed, the Italian was a better alternative to the diseased Gasparde. With a faux smile on his lips, he answered, "I will, my Master."

Tintoretto gave him a hard slap on the behind. "Now, go in there, boy, and wow that crowd."

With a nod, he took three deep breaths to calm his nerves. As the emcee announced his name, he strode out onto the stage to the claps and cheers of the club's regular patrons. To his dismay, however, there was no such response from the elite in the audience. Even the pianist paid no attention to him, busy as she was speaking angrily to her manager, waving a letter in her hand.

"Why did you only give this to me now?" she whispered harshly. "You kept this letter for three months, LeFortin! He must think that I'm mad at him!"

The flustered manager tried to placate his furious talent, but she had fallen into sullen silence. He was stunned to see the tears limning her lovely eyes.

So much sadness in those beautiful eyes…

It was only then that he sensed the deep hush that had fallen around him. Ghostly faces stared back at him, impatient eyes glowing in the dim lights of the club. The musicians were waiting for his signal to begin playing. Backstage, Tintoretto was gesturing madly for him to "Sing! _SING!_"

His mismatched eyes focused once more upon the sad young woman before him. The resentment he had felt for her earlier was replaced by concern and the strong desire to see her smile.

Then his lips parted, his voice faltering at those first few notes, as he sang, "Harsh words were said, and lies were told instead. I didn't ever mean to make you cry…."

The woman's head lifted at once at those first lines, her eyes widening as she stared at his face. Various emotions crossed her beautiful face – anger, shock, disbelief, fear… What reason does she have to fear him?

_Do not be afraid, _he poured that soothing thought into the song. _I only want to make you happy._

Strong was his wish to please that his voice soared with every note like an eagle in flight. Such was the power of his song that it touched the hardest of hearts among the audience. Signore Gasparde, he saw, was continuously dabbing the corners of his eyes with a lacy handkerchief.

As what usually happened when he gave the whole of himself to a song, everything around him faded away into nothingness. Only he and the music existed. But the song had an end. Still, he sustained that final note for as long as he could.

Returning to the here and now to the roar of the crowd, he found the young pianist standing in front of him on stage, her eyes wet with her tears.

Thinking he had angered her, he bowed in haste, stammering, "Please forgive me! I fell in love with your composition the first time I played it on the piano. Such a beautiful song should possess words to express itself more, so I dared to… I'm so sorry for my impertinence!"

"Count?"

His head lifted, hearing that tremulous query.

"You…" she breathed out the word. "The Count of Monte Cristo…"

So her fear had a name. Giving her a most kind smile, he said, "I'm afraid I am no nobleman, Madame. I am but a humble singer in a Luna nightclub."

"You dare to describe yourself 'humble' with a voice like that?" she declared hotly, shocked by his timidity. "You sell yourself too short. Have you no idea of the talent that you possess?"

He stared at her blankly, unsure of how he should reply.

The pianist then smiled at him reassuringly. "My piano had only accompanied the best sopranos, tenors and baritones in the galaxy. I consider you to be among them." She raised an inviting hand to him. Winking, she asked, "Shall we do it right this time, Monsieur Etienne Delacroix?"

Beaming with happiness, he accepted her hand and nodded. "It will be my pleasure, Mademoiselle Eugenie Danglars."


	2. Two Letters And A Young Man's Decision

 

_12 June, 5060****_

_My dearest Albert,_

_I must apologize for not responding to your letter, and it's been three months since you sent this. It is only now that my manager handed your letter to me. A fool, that LeFortin! He mistook your missive as having come from one of my most ardent admirers. Overprotective idiot kept all my letters in order that any (in his terms!) budding romances will not distract me from my music while on tour. As if that were remotely possible. You know very well that I am made of much stronger stuff than that._

_The concert circuit was a lot more rigorous than I expected, but I have no regrets. I am living and breathing my fondest dreams. I am playing the music that I love and sharing them with people from distant planets. I'm sure you understand my sentiments, being just as well traveled as I am in your profession as aide to the Paris ambassador to the Empire. Between you and me, I had even started writing the music to that opera I was telling you about. _

_I am playing a series of concerts in Luna right now. How long has it been since you last came here? Was it six, seven years ago? Well, Luna hasn't changed much in that time. Ruffian and bandits still roam the streets. LeFortin hired bodyguards for us to discourage any kidnapping attempts. The man who had abducted you – Luigi Vampa (?) is his name, if I remember correctly – he is now the No. 1 Most Wanted Man in Luna._

_What am I doing? The last thing I want is to dredge up bad memories. That trip to Luna was the last you shared with Franz, and where you met _him_. However, something happened to me here that I believe you should know. I already wrote to dear Haydee in Janina earlier. I am down to my last two pages of letter paper, so I'd better get right to it._

At the insistence of LeFortin, I went to this nightclub tonight called La Decadenza. He wanted me to listen to a singer performing there every night. The star attraction, not only of the club, but of the entire city as well, and with good reason. I've performed with many of the opera greats, but I've never heard a voice like his. To say it was angelic was an understatement. His voice possessed a great power that lets you feel the emotions in the song. Would you believe that he had the gall to write lyrics to the song I had composed for you? But to hear him sing it, with those sad lyrics… I'm telling you, not a single dry eye could be found among the audience, including my own. His voice soothed the fear inside my heart.

"You felt fear?" you might ask. I won't deny it. I was afraid, especially when I beheld his face for the first time. I swear I thought my heart was going to give way right then and there. I went up on stage (which took a lot of courage on my part) to get a close look at him. At first, I thought I was wrong. His youth was undeniable. He is the same age as you. However, call it that blasted intuition that all women possess, I could not be mistaken.

_Albert…it was _he_! Your old friend! The man who took Franz's life and nearly ruined ours!_

_I know you'll probably tell me that it's impossible, that he couldn't be alive. That he perished during the siege of Paris. But his remains were never recovered from the ruins of No. 30 Champs Elysee, were they? Only your father's body was found._

_Still, same as you when you had first met _him_, I could not help but like this young singer. Behind his kind smile lay a deep sorrow that I could not even imagine. Part of it, I think, has something to do with his employer, Claudio Tintoretto, the owner of La Decadenza. Tintoretto's possessiveness of his star makes LeFortin seem like an angel in comparison. I've heard that he and Tintoretto were lovers. If this were true, I don't think he would allow his beloved to sleep with other men. An unsavory gentleman named Gasparde admitted to me that he had availed of the 'services' of Luna's Nightingale._

_Albert, I do not know why I am writing all this to you. You know that I believe that bad memories are best left buried in the past. But this exquisitely talented singer… I cannot help but feel that, somehow, he is calling out for help with that beautiful voice of his. I can't do anything for him, as I'm right in the middle of a tour. I know that you are due for a vacation from the Embassy. I am hoping that you would come to Luna to see him, to hear him sing. I want you to be able to tell me that I was wrong, that this young man is _not_ your old friend._

_But if I am right… Albert, please do be careful. Not only with Tintoretto, but more so with him. It is not my desire to reopen old wounds, but it would not help to be certain that _he_ had not returned from the dead to haunt our lives once more._

_All my love, _

_Eugenie_

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

_Albert,_

_I just received Eugenie's letter, and I must admit that it has given me great cause for concern. For this young singer to be _him_… In spite of everything that had happened, I had continued to wait and to hope for _his_ return. Could this be the answer to my prayers?_

Unfortunately, political tension here in Janina is preventing me from going to Luna. However, I had already spoken to Bertuccio and Baptistin at length about this, and they are eager to make the journey.

_Just tell me when you're leaving for Luna and I'll make certain that Bertuccio and Baptistin meet you there. I will follow as soon as I'm able._

_Forever your friend,_

_Haydee_

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Albert Herrera, the former Viscount de Morcerf, carefully replaced the two letters in their respective envelopes. With a sigh of mild exasperation, he leaned back against his velvet-padded chair.

Pouting, the twenty-two year old Ambassador's aide muttered under his breath, "I can't believe these women! Already making presumptions that I'll be going to Luna when I have yet to decide on it."

But Albert had to admit his curiosity had been piqued. He expected that kind of a response from Haydee. After all, great was her emotional attachment to the man who had freed her from slavery and helped her get revenge for her parents' deaths. Eugenie, however, was a different matter. A strong willed woman to begin with, she would be the last to admit to possessing the noted 'intuition' of the fairer sex. She was, without a doubt, shaken by her encounter with this enigmatic singer of La Decadenza.

_" 'The last thing I want is to dredge up bad memories,' "_ Eugenie had written in her letter.

"Ah, but I couldn't forget now, could I?" Albert declared to his spacious office. "I promised him that I will remember everything that happened during that tragic summer seven years ago."

He laid his hand over his forehead as he gazed at the carvings on the ceiling._How could I forget when I know now that I had loved him, just as my mother had?_

It had been Franz who had realized that his boyish fascination was something much deeper. In his attempt to save his best friend from the object of his obsession, he had sacrificed his life in a duel that he knew he would not survive from. And yet, in his last letter, he had urged Albert to be true to his heart and to pursue the course that it dictated. But even that path had led to death and not the salvation of a betrayed soul. It was only much later that he had learned from Maximilien Morrel that poor Franz's affections for him went beyond friendship.

Albert gave his beating chest a hard rap with his fist. _Curse this foolish heart! Why didn't you fall in love with Franz instead, or Eugenie? Why did you have to fall in love with _him_?_

A knock on his door shook him out of his troubled thoughts. Getting himself back in order, Albert called, "Yes, come in."

It was the Ambassador's executive secretary. "The Ambassador wishes to see you, Monsieur Herrera."

Albert leaped to his feet and went around his desk, going towards the plump middle-aged woman. Giving her a playful hug, he said cheerfully, "Let's go together, Elena."

A blush went up the secretary's cheeks as she and the exuberant aide headed off to the ambassador's office, which was located at the fourth floor of the Embassy building. As they went, Albert was elated by the smiles he encountered along the way. It had not been like this before. The Embassy staff previously looked at him with hostility, the stigma that came with the false title 'De Morcerf.' When he changed his family name to that of his mother's and slowly climbed up the ranks through patience and hard work, he eventually earned the respect of all. And he owed it all to the man who had summoned him.

Reaching the office at last, Elena opened the door for him, without even knocking, and he went inside.

Ambassador Alain DeQuervain was looking over the drafts of economic treaties he intended to propose to the Ambassador of the Empire. A broad smile brightened his gaunt face, seeing his trusted aide.

"Oh, Albert, please have a seat!" DeQuervain gestured to the chair before his desk.

Sitting down, Albert inquired, "Anything I can do for you, Ambassador?"

DeQuervain gave him a measuring look before settling back in his plush armchair. "I'll go straight to the point, Albert. I'm sure you've heard of Benilde Maurier's retirement."

"The Paris Ambassador to Luna? Yes, sir. I have."

"Well, I was asked by the French Council as to who would be the best man to replace him," DeQuervain carefully began. "I gave them your name."

Albert's jaw dropped instantly. He felt like he had been hit on the head with a bat. "Sir, I am flattered that you think so highly of me, but surely there are others who are more qualified to the position."

"There is no one with the impeccable credentials that you possess. Truth be told, our present peaceful relationship with the Empire could not have been attained without your able assistance. Plus, another factor in your favor is your youth. Luna is a progressive nation, and France needs an ambassador who possesses the flexibility and the capacity to adapt to that ever-changing society."

"But what about…my family history? I don't think the Council would approve…"

"Actually, they didn't. However, I most certainly did not recommend anyone else for the post. Besides that, I strongly impressed upon the members of the Council the simple fact that the sins of the father are not that of the son's. They never questioned my judgment before. I see no reason for them to question it now."

Albert was humbled by the man's overwhelming confidence in him. "Monsieur Alain…I don't know what to say."

"All I want to hear from you, my boy, is a yes. And, perhaps, a small promise that you won't disappoint me?" DeQuervain said this with a knowing wink.

Eugenie's letter suddenly entered Albert's mind. "Monsieur Alain…I want to ask…have you ever heard of the 'Nightingale of Luna'?"

"Why, yes! From Benilde, in fact. A talented young man with the face and voice of an angel. Benilde somehow managed to record one of his performances in secret. It seems his employer is overprotective of his star's talent. Would you like to listen?"

Albert brightened at that suggestion. "Yes, I would love to very much, Sir."

DeQuervain turned off the piano piece he was listening to and selected a track on his computer. As the opening notes began to play, Albert recognized the song as a popular love ballad in Luna. Then, the Nightingale himself began to sing, and Albert found his jaw dropping for the second time.

No word could describe the richness of the man's voice. From the low notes of the baritone, he could soar to the countertenor range with fluid ease. And he had to agree with Eugenie. He could feel his heart beating rapidly with the emotions that were being aroused in him. Indeed, this man was no ordinary singer.

DeQuervain noticed the rapturous expression on his protégé's face. "What do you think, my boy? Does his voice not make you feel that you are in the highest heavens?"

"He is amazing!" Albert gushed excitedly. "Even the great opera legend Ludivigo Cassal's voice could not compare to his!"

"How _did_ you learn of the 'Nightingale of Luna', if I may ask?"

"Eugenie Danglars mentioned him to me in her letter that I just received this afternoon. She never told me his name though."

"His name is Etienne Delacroix. And I know that if there's anyone who could recognize a musical gift, it's definitely Mademoiselle Danglars." DeQuervain swiftly threw the bait at his enrapt young aide. "You know, Albert. If you accept the post in Luna, you will be able to hear Etienne sing. Perhaps, you could even meet him."

With Etienne Delacroix's voice filling that empty place inside his heart that was once occupied by a mysterious man with a dark, haunted past, Albert seized the ambassador's offer with both hands and an enthusiastic smile.

"Yes, Monsieur Alain. I accept the post as the new Ambassador to Luna."


	3. A Chance Encounter

 

_"Albert! Hey, Albert!"_

Albert had just disembarked from the Embassy's private spaceship. Before he could scan through the milling throng at the airport, the person who had called out his name burst through the crowd, waving excitedly.

"BAPTISTIN!" Albert ran down the portable stairs and met the Count's loyal aide halfway, giving him a tight hug. "Long time, no see!"

"You can say that again!" Baptistin pushed him a bit away to be able to peruse his young friend. "Would you look at yourself? The last time we saw each other, you were just a little squirt! Now, you're as tall as I am! That Peppo certainly did wonders for your stature!"

Albert frowned in confusion. "What does Peppo have to do with my height?"

"Now, now, Albert! No need to be coy with me," Baptistin mumbled conspiratorially, as he elbowed the younger man lightly in the ribs. "I know that Peppo had been your first. As my great grandmother used to say, the best way to make a boy grow taller is for him to lose his virginity. And…voila…" He gestured with exaggerated flair towards his now irritated friend. "Here is the proof!"

Albert rapped Baptistin on the head with his briefcase. "How dare you remind me of…of THAT! I want to forget, if you don't mind!"

"Well, you seem to have chalked it down to inexperience," Bertuccio approached them, a rare grin on the Black man's face. "Anyone could be fooled by Peppo because he's so pretty. There he is in Paris – a famous model, and no one knows he's really a man."

Albert gazed fondly at the two men who had once been the trusted henchmen of the Count of Monte Cristo. "I missed you, my friends."

"As we have you, Albert," Bertuccio bowed to him. "When we first met, you were just a boy, but now, you're the Paris Ambassador to Luna. How quickly time flies! The Master would be so proud of you if he could see you now."

"Yes," Albert said thoughtfully. "I'm sure he would have."

Baptistin and Bertuccio exchanged meaningful looks. "You know?" Baptistin put in. "There is one gift that our Master was never able to give you. We'd like to give it to you now, to celebrate your appointment to the Ambassadorship."

The young man's head lifted at that revelation. "Really? A gift for me from the Count?"

An hour later, they were at the cargo loading bay of the spaceport. While Bertuccio and Baptistin saw to the loading of Albert's belongings in the black carriage, the two men would often glance over their shoulders to look at their young friend.

Albert was 'Ooh-ing' and 'Aah-ing' over a shiny new motorcycle, wiping away any smudges he found with his handkerchief. Many times, Bertuccio would catch him running his fingers over the Count's coat of arms that was etched on the chrome finish.

With an approving nod from Bertuccio, Baptistin slowly went towards the young man, who was carefully inspecting the engine.

"The Count wanted so much for you to have this motorcycle," Baptistin softly revealed as he squatted beside Albert. "He had heard about the mishaps you've had on your old bike. So he had this one custom made especially for you. You won't find one model like it back on Earth."

"Baptistin…Do I deserve this?"

The older man was aghast by that question. "Why do you say that? The Master wouldn't have bought this if he hadn't thought highly of you."

"But I can't help feeling that I did him wrong. While it's true that he wreaked havoc on my life, but then…" Albert clung to the bike's leather seat to support his trembling knees. To Baptistin's surprise, a tear trickled down Albert's cheek. "I betrayed him, Baptistin, the same way my father I had. Like Judas Iscariot, I betrayed him with a kiss. He would still be alive now if I hadn't…"

"If he had lived, he wouldn't have been the Count you had known." Baptistin remembered the last moments of his master on this earth. Those hideous marks on his face… "That man who had pointed his gun at you while tears poured from his eyes, he was the _real_ Count of Monte Cristo. The other was…Gankutsuou…"

Albert looked at the man at his side. "Gankutsuou…he…"

"…Is gone, and the less said about him the better."

"You don't seem convinced that he is gone though."

Baptistin breathed a heavy sigh. "Little is known about Gankutsuou. Much of the information about him lay in myths and legends, and from the sketchy data from the Chateau d'lf. However, they were all in agreement about two things: that Gankutsuou was immortal and that, for him, nothing was impossible."

Albert's heart pounded his chest, his blood chilled by sudden dread. "Then, are you saying that he might still be alive?"

"Bertuccio and I don't know that for certain…not until we meet Luna's Nightingale."

"Which won't be for some time," Bertuccio strode towards them. "The La Decadenza has been booked solid for a month."

Albert got to his feet, the disappointment visible on his face. "Then there's nothing we could do for now."

"You forget who you are." Baptistin gave him a smarting tap at the tip of his nose. "You need to get settled in first, Monsieur Ambassador. Bertuccio and I shall do all the digging."

"I thought you should know this," Bertuccio quickly added. "We've enlisted Luigi Vampa's assistance. True, the man is a bandit, but he was fiercely loyal to the Count. He will help us."

"As long as there is no way to connect him to me," Albert pointedly reminded them, "I don't see why not. But…what if we do find out…that Etienne Delacroix is…"

"Let me tell you something, Albert," Bertuccio began, laying his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Gankutsuou may have been strong, but the Count matched him will for will. They shared the same body, true. Who's to say that they did not share the same preternatural power? Yes, as Baptistin had said, there is a strong possibility that the Nightingale of Luna could be Gankutsuou. But could we not also consider the reverse – that Etienne Delacroix could be Edmond Dantes, the Count of Monte Cristo?" The stern Black man gave him a wistful smile. "Is that not something worth waiting and hoping for?"

To see the optimism on Bertuccio's face caused the warmth of hope to resurge into Albert's heart. His simple reply was a "Yes" and an empathic nod.

 

Sor Marie Bertrille of the Order of the Poor Clares quietly observed the young man who was kneeling before the image of the Crucified Christ. His eyes were closed, his thick ebony lashes like silk curtains, and his open palms crossed over his chest. He was singing the "Gloria", his own unique way of praying to the Almighty. Despite the problems besetting their humble orphanage, that magnificent voice never failed to raise her spirits.

The song ended with a soft "Amen", and he made the Sign of the Cross, before standing up. A warm smile formed on his lips when he saw her. "Oh, hello, Sister Bertrille!"

"Hello, Etienne, my child!" The Mother Superior approached him. "You seem to be in very high spirits. This is the first time I heard you sing with such passion."

"I won't deny that I _am_ very happy," Etienne replied, as he beamed at the image of the Man on the Cross. "This past month, He had blessed me, and today I received a most wonderful letter."

"Oh? From whom?"

"The famous concert pianist Mademoiselle Eugenie Danglars. She wrote to me saying that a friend of hers was coming to stay in Luna. She said that he might be able to help me leave La Decadenza."

Sister Bertrille was elated by this news that she gave the young man a warm hug. "That is indeed wonderful news! I too have been praying that you be freed from that den of sin. I could not bear for my Angel of Song to be corrupted. Did Mademoiselle Danglars say when this friend would be coming?"

"This month. She told me that he would come see me perform. But…I checked the club's registry, and I found no new names among the reservations."

"Don't be saddened, my child. I'm sure he will find a way to see you."

"I hope so too." Etienne admitted in sorrow, "Ever since I met Mademoiselle Danglars, Tintoretto had been very strict with me. I am no longer permitted to leave the club unless Tintoretto or one of the bouncers accompanied me. I merely snuck out of my room by climbing down the drainpipe. If I have…clients, we go to the lounge that Tintoretto had ordered renovated into a guest suite. All this was done because Mademoiselle Eugenie had dared to argue with Tintoretto over me. She had wanted to bring me along on her concert tour. 'You cannot keep a great talent such as this locked up in this ratty establishment!' she had railed at him. But Tintoretto was adamant that he would keep me here. Every time he and I would…you know, he would always say that he'd never let me go."

The good nun cupped his face in her gnarled hands. "You are not his property, Etienne! When that friend of Madamoiselle Danglars comes, beg him to take you away from that horrible place! If need be, send him to me and I shall convince him!"

Etienne took her hands and squeezed them between his gloved hands. "You are always so kind to me, Sister Bertrille."

"That is because, for me, you are the son I could never have. You visit us here, at the risk of incurring Signore Tintoretto's wrath, and give us your meager earnings, money that could help you leave that accursed club. Best of all, you grace our little church with your beautiful voice. You are the most precious gift that I, the other sisters, and our children had ever received."

"Oh, Sister! You sound as if I'll be leaving you forever! Besides, nothing is certain yet. Who knows? Madame Eugenie's friend may not…like…me."

"Then he would be hard of heart if he could not see the goodness in your soul. But enough of the pessimistic talk." The Mother Superior began haltingly, "Uh…Etienne…we were talking about blessings earlier and… Would you accept a small gift from this poor nun?

From within her habit, Sister Bertrille pulled out a small packet wrapped in brown paper and pressed it into his startled hands.

"Sister Bertrille, you shouldn't have! The orphanage…"

"Money could be earned again. Besides, my brother in Avignon shared in the expense. What are you waiting for, child? Open it!"

His hands trembling with excitement, Etienne tore off the wrapper. When the gift was finally revealed, he could barely suppress his delighted gasp. With his fingertips, he caressed the gold letterings and mask design emblazoned on the black leather cover.

" 'Le Fantome de l'Opera'…" Etienne was close to tears. "But how…why…"

"It's your favorite book in my library," Sister Bertrille replied with a sly grin. The Mother Superior's one vice was her love of books. In fact, in her office, was a library of the latest novels that her brother sent her, and that the singer enjoyed pouring over every time he went to visit. "Why don't you look at the title page?"

Indeed, as he turned to that page, he saw that written in an elegant scrawl was a short note…

 

_To my most ardent reader Monsieur Etienne Delacroix,_

_I hope I would be graced with the opportunity to_

_hear your magnificent voice in the future._

_From your friend,_

_Msr. Gaston Leroux_

 

Etienne pressed his precious gift close to his heart. "I won't deny how much I love this book. You may think me strange, Sister, but I found myself identifying with Christine Daae."

"Perhaps it is because the two of you are wonderful singers, and that you are both held prisoner by one man," the Mother Superior suggested.

"Yes, perhaps you can call Tintoretto my jailer. But he is nothing like Erik. Christine, in her way, loved Erik, while I feel no similar affections for Tintoretto. Erik is much kinder than my master."

"I doubt if anyone could ever love that wicked man." Sister Bertrille smiled. "You know I too noticed the similarities between yours and Christine's lives. There is only one thing missing in _your_ story."

Etienned gaped at the good nun as she gave him a mischievous wink. "You only need _your_ Raoul to save you."

 

A few minutes later, Etienne stood at the gates with the Mother Superior.

"Thank you so much for this wonderful gift, Sister Bertrille," the singer exclaimed in sincere gratitude. "I will treasure this forever. Oh, and I'll be here on Sunday to sing during the morning Mass."

"Do not try Tintoretto's patience, child. You could miss a few services. I'm sure the Good Lord would understand." Sister Bertrille then waved him off. "Now, run along, before that bastard discovers you gone."

Etienne wagged a scolding finger at the nun. "Sister, I am shocked! That's not how a Mother Superior should speak." Making sure that his tresses were tucked completely inside his beret, he bowed to her and said, "I'll be seeing you!"

Running to the street corner, the singer waited for the cars and carriages to pass by before crossing the street. Just as he reached the middle of the road, pain ripped through his skull with blinding force. Etienne closed his eyes, pressing both hands to his forehead that he dropped his book. Another sharp stab of pain, and he fell to his knees.

Then, Etienne heard laughter. It had a low, echoing quality to it. Something was strange about that laugh. He could not tell where it was coming from, certainly not from his immediate surroundings.

Suddenly, he heard a voice, and it was then that the singer realized that it was coming from inside his head.

_:Finally, I am able to glimpse the outside world once more!:_ the voice said with undisguised glee. _:Seven years I've waited to be free!:_

"Who are you? What are you doing inside my head?" Etienne gritted his teeth, the pain intensifying as the voice spoke.

_:We've always been together…you and I. You could say we're very good friends.:_

"But I don't…" With an agonized gasp, the singer asked, "Are you…the Devil?"

The entity's laughter was like a torch that seared his brain. _:The Devil? Moi? Oh no, my beloved Angel of Music! I am so much worse! I am your Phantom, and I have returned to fulfill the promise we made to each other.:_

Etienne was completely overwhelmed by the pain and terror of the evil being that had invaded his mind. His eyes rolled upwards and he fell to the pavement…right in the path of an oncoming carriage.

 

"Baptistin, slow down! You're going too fast!"

Baptistin sat on the driver's seat of the carriage with Bertuccio, the horses' reins in his hands. "No, I'm not!" he called out to Albert, who was riding alongside them on his motorcycle. "I'm sure I'm within the legal speed limit!"

"Not by my speedometer, you're not!" Albert answered back, as he revved up his bike to keep up with the carriage.

"Albert, why don't you ride in the coach?" Bertuccio asked above the rumble of the wheels on gravel. "It's unseemly for the Paris Ambassador to Luna to be riding a motorcycle!"

"It's already cramped back there! I'd suffocate before we reach the Embassy!"

"Why did you bring so much stuff anyway?" Baptistin declared with a flick of the reins. "One would think your mother, Madame Herrera, packed your entire house!"

Albert laughed, feeling the breeze blowing through his hair. "Actually, she almost did!"

Bertuccio was about to utter a quip of his own when something in the middle of the road a couple of miles ahead of them caught his eye. He gasped in shock, seeing that it was a man!

"STOP THE CARRIAGE!" he roared as he tried to seize the reins.

"I can't! The horses won't stop!" Baptistin cried out in rising panic, realizing that he had lost control.

Bertuccio gripped the hand brake and pulled hard, a noisy screech rising from the wheels. Still, the carriage thundered on.

At first, Albert wondered why the two men were in a state of panic, until he too saw the still figure lying on the road. Kicking at the accelerator, the motorcycle shot ahead of the runaway carriage, and rolled to a stop before the fallen man. Albert swiftly got off his bike and faced the carriage that was bearing down upon them.

"ALBERT, GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Bertuccio shouted in horror, seeing the young man standing his ground.

Charging forward, Albert pulled out a whip from within his coat and cracked it hard at the two lead horses. As the horses reared up, he gripped the harness of the black stallion on the right.

"Whoa, boy!" Albert spoke to the jittery horse in a soothing voice, patting its head. "Easy now! It's all right! Be calm!"

Bertuccio and Baptistin sagged into their seats in relief and weariness.

"I told you you were going too fast, Baptistin," Albert said scoldingly.

"God, Albert!" Baptistin exclaimed breathlessly. "Where did you learn to handle horses like that?"

"Ali taught me when I visited Haydee in Janina a couple of years ago."

When all four horses were at last calmed down, Albert hurried to the unconscious figure on the ground. With a light shake, he called, "Hey! Are you all right? Wake up!"

But the man did not move.

Gently, Albert picked him up, the movement causing the man's hat to fall from his head. Albert's mouth gaped open as ebony silk tumbled over his lifting arm. His eyes grew as wide as platters as he beheld the face of a man he had not seen in seven years. A man he believed lay dead and buried in the ruins of an old mansion in Paris. Even from their position on the carriage, Baptistin and Bertuccio were just as stunned.

There was a woman's horrified scream – _"Etienne! Oh sweet Jesus!! ETIENNE!"_ A nun dressed in a dark brown habit was running towards him.

As he gazed down at that handsome face, he noticed that this man was much younger than his old friend; the same age as he was, as Eugenie had told him. It was only then that Albert realized that this unconscious young man he was holding in his arms was the Nightingale of Luna.


	4. New Acquaintances

 

_Etienne sat at his dresser, running his brush through his silken mane with listless strokes. He had long since lost count, uncertain whether he was still lacking or had already exceeded the prerequisite hundred strokes necessary to maintain the health of his crowning glory._

_There was a soft humming behind him, and he jerked hard on the brush in surprise, painfully yanking out several strands in the process. Slowly, he turned to look at the huge dressing mirror on the wall. Dark shadows flitted across the mirror's face like a turbulent maelstrom._

_"Etienne…"_

_That cold voice caused him to drop the brush on the floor. _

_"ETIENNE!"_

_Terror made him stand up. Fleeing was never an option. He had to obey or else he would incur the wrath of the being that lived behind the mirror._

_Etienne quietly padded towards the mirror. Within that glass, a dark shadow was also walking towards him. At first, he thought it was his reflection – same height, same build, the same long flowing mane, except the clothes the wraith wore were pitch black, with red flames running up the long sleeves. The being's face was shrouded by shadows. He knew that he was not looking at his own image, but someone else's entirely._

_Someone he had known…_

_Someone he _should_ know…_

"Sing to me, my Angel of Music! Sing! I want to hear that beautiful voice that I had created for you and you alone!"

_Etienne's trembling lips parted, but what came out was not a song, but a question. "Who are you?"_

_"I am the Phantom who haunts your deepest psyche, and I have come to demand that you fulfill your oath to me!"_

_"What oath?" he cried, shaking in fear. "I don't understand! Erik…."_

_The Phantom slowly lifted his head as he muttered, "My name is not Erik! I am…"_

_To Etienne's horror, the entity in the mirror had no face. As he watched, strange markings blazed with crimson fire where its face should be. From the graceful curlicues, malevolent golden eyes opened._

_A long pointed tongue snaked out of its gaping maw, and Etienne screamed._

 

"ETIENNE!"

With a strangled cry, the singer awoke from his nightmare and threw himself into a warm, protective embrace.

_"Sister Bertrille! It was terrible!"_ Etienne sobbed, his whole body quaking in sheer terror. _"I saw the face of the Devil himself!"_

"It's all right!" a kind voice soothed him. "It was just a nightmare. You're safe now."

The singer stopped at once. That voice was most definitely male.

Etienne pulled away with a start, only to behold the gentlest face he had ever seen in his life. Wavy short brown hair, bright blue orbs with a small mole at the corner of his left eye, a charming smile… A blushed rushed up his cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he said, deeply embarrassed, as he turned his gaze away. "I thought you were Sister Bertrille."

"Oh, you mean the Mother Superior? She went to get some tea. I told her she didn't have to." The young man scratched his head sheepishly. "She was rather insistent."

"Yes, it's so difficult to say no to her."

"What happened to you? I must confess we nearly ran you over."

At that moment, Sister Bertrille entered the room, bearing a tray with tea. "Did you suffer another attack, child?" To their guest, she explained, "Etienne often gets these terrible headaches, you see."

Etienne nodded. "It was awful this time, Sister! For awhile there, I thought I heard voices."

"Must be because of all the activity and excitement of the past month. You should really get more rest." The kind nun pressed a small box of pills into his hands. "Here. This will help you sleep. Take no more than two every night."

"As if sleep were possible for someone in my profession." The singer said this with a wry grimace.

"Then take them during your sleep time even if it's during the day," the young man put in. "A good sleep is always the best cure for headaches."

Etienne gave him a dark scowl, offended that a complete stranger would offer him advice. "What are you anyway – a doctor?"

"Etienne Delacroix!" Sister Bertrille declared sharply. "You're being rude to the man who just saved your life!"

Mismatched eyes blinked in confusion. "He saved my life? But he just said that he nearly ran over me!"

"Actually, it was my carriage, although I was riding my motorcycle when the horses went out of control."

"You should have seen him, my child," the Mother Superior gushed excitedly. "It was a scene straight out of an adventure novel! He stopped the horses with a crack of his whip and gentle words before they could trample you."

There was a dubious expression on Etienne's face. Surely this boyish-looking young man couldn't have done something that heroic. "You did that?"

Again, their guest scratched his head, grinning. "Yes, I think I did. I just acted. I really didn't know what I was doing actually."

"Oh, stop being so modest, boy!" Sister Bertrille chided him.

"What's your name? I mean…" The singer struggled for politeness, seeing the nun shoot daggers at him with her eyes. "You already know mine."

"I'm Albert Herrera. Pleased to meet you." Albert then revealed, "You know, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I'd end up saving the life of the Nightingale of Luna. Truth be told, you're the reason why I came here in the first place. I heard that you were a fantastic singer and I wanted to see you perform."

"Albert Herrera…" Etienne thought for a long moment. "I don't recall seeing your name among the reservations at the club."

"That's because I just arrived here today."

"Sorry to say, Monsieur Herrera, but you'll have to wait two whole months before you could get to hear me sing. La Decadenza is fully booked."

"You would let the man who just saved your life wait for two whole months?" Sister Bertrille asked incredulously. She patted Albert's shoulder. "I'll tell you what. Why don't you come to our humble church this Sunday for the morning Mass?"

Albert hastily interrupted, "Sister, I'm really not a churchgoer and…"

"Etienne here always sings during the morning Mass. If you're lucky and his employer is in a good mood on that day, he might be permitted to stay longer to teach the children some hymns during Bible class."

"Sister Bertrille!" Etienne exclaimed. He couldn't believe what the sly nun had just said. "You told me earlier that I could skip a few Masses. You even said that the Good Lord would understand!"

"Oh, but you'll be here THIS Sunday. If I need to get Signore Tintoretto's permission, I will do so." The Mother Superior whispered to Albert like an accomplice in crime, "Don't worry, my boy. I'll make certain that Father Tretini keeps his sermons short and the distribution of Communion slower for you to be able to hear Etienne sing longer. Hmm… Maybe we should have the Mass in the traditional form, with all the Readings, Psalms and prayers sung."

"Do that and Father Tretini will die before he even makes his sermon," Etienne snorted. "That old priest has emphysema from all those foul-smelling cigars he's been smoking."

_"Etienne! Where are your manners?"_ Sister Bertrille lost all patience with the singer. _"I can't believe you could be so hostile to Albert! Apologize this instant!"_

Chastened by that fierce rebuke, Etienne turned to Albert with a not-so-sincere look of apology on his face. "Forgive me, Albert. It's just that I'm not used to talking to someone who's the same age as I am. You also said that you wanted to hear me sing, and I readily assumed that…after the performance…we would… All my so-called admirers would…."

The sexual connotation in his words was painfully apparent to Albert. Before he could offer a reassurance, someone interjected at the doorway, "You are right not to trust young Albert here."

It was a grinning Baptistin. Going towards Albert, he draped his arm over the now scowling younger man's shoulders and pointed a finger at him.

"He's a pirate, greatly feared in all four quadrants of the galaxy. Why, that rogue Luigi Vampa would piss in his pants – Sorry about that, Sister – at the mere mention of the name 'Albert Herrera'!" He even stated the name with an exaggerated sweep of his right hand.

"I don't think my fingers would even twitch at a pirate with that ordinary, harmless sounding name," Etienne muttered under his breath, warranting a heavy heel on his toes courtesy of the nun.

Bertuccio, who had been listening to the amusing conversation outside, entered the room. "You have nothing to fear from Albert, Monsieur Delacroix. Despite his youth, his amorous attentions are always focused on men older than him. You should see how passionate he gets with men more than half his age."

"Don't listen to him!" Albert cried out to the singer. To his two friends, he glared. "As for you two, shut up!"

But Baptistin continued, "His last affair was with a country nobleman. Poor Albert's heart was broken when…"

Both Albert and Bertuccio throttled the knave before he could go on.

"Is that true?"

That soft query escaped Etienne's lips before he realized he had said it.

It was Albert's turn to blush. Seeing no reason to lie, especially in front of a nun, he admitted, "Yes. I fell in love with an aristocrat, but…"

"Oh, I see," was Etienne's quiet answer. Somehow, he could not understand why it hurt to hear that admission from Albert's own lips.

Sister Bertrille noticed the thoughtful, but sad expression on the singer's face. "Does that bother you, Etienne?" she asked in seeming innocence.

At that query, Etienne's cheeks burned and he shot to his feet in an instant. Clearly flustered, he stammered, "I must go! Signore Tintoretto must be looking for me by now!" Hastily, he added to all, "I cannot promise that I'll be here on Sunday. Forgive me!" Without saying another word, the singer fled from the room.

Albert's eyes fell upon the book sitting on the table. Grabbing it, he hurried after the singer, calling, _"Etienne! Wait!"_

By the time he went out the front door, however, Etienne had already crossed the street and disappeared into the crowd.

Groaning, Albert flopped his hands to his sides, still holding the book that the singer had left behind. Turning his forlorn blue eyes heavenwards, he complained, "What did I do wrong?"

Baptistin, who was coming up behind him, heard his lament. "I think you lost your boyish charm when you grew up..."

"I'm not THAT old!"

"Or maybe he really is _not_ the Count. The Master always said that there's something about you that he found irresistible."

Bertuccio went towards them. "Well, this is just our first meeting. I'm sure you'll see each other again. Better take the good sister's suggestion and attend Mass on Sunday here."

"But he said he's not going to show up," Albert argued helplessly.

"He only said that so you wouldn't attend the Sunday service." In his frustration, Baptistin scratched his head furiously, messing up his hair. "For heaven's sake, you sound as if you haven't been in love before."

Sorrow crossed Albert's boyish features. "Actually, I have…twice. And I messed both up pretty badly."

Bertuccio laid his arm over the younger man's shoulder, smiling reassuringly. "Then don't mess this one up this time."

 

Etienne dropped to his knees, holding his aching belly where Tintoretto had punched him. The Italian towered over him, shaking in fury. He reached down and grabbed a fistful of the singer's hair, yanking his head up. Despite his promises that he would never damage his star's face, Etienne was terrifyingly certain that his Master would do so now.

Tintoretto shook the younger man's head hard, causing hair strands to be pulled out by the roots. "Where the hell have you been? I thought I forbade you from leaving the club without me or a bouncer with you!"

"I wanted to go to church to pray," cried Etienne, tears filling his eyes from the stinging pain in his scalp. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"You've been gone for three hours! You met one of that bitch pianist's friends, didn't you? Tell me the truth!"

"I did nothing, I swear! I…I suffered another attack! That's why I took so long! You can ask Sister Bertrille!"

"That damned nun will only cover up for you! Now tell me! Where did you go? Do you have a lover I don't know about?"

"Please, Master! You're hurting me!"

"TELL ME!"

Etienne's hands flew up to pry those brutal fingers lose from his hair, but when pain tore through his head all of a sudden, he found himself gripping his forehead instead. To Tintoretto's horror, blood started pouring from the singer's nostrils.

"ETIENNE!" the Italian exclaimed as he felt the young man fall limp in his grip like a wilting flower. He picked the singer up before he could totally collapse. Beholding the anguish on that beautiful face, Tintoretto clucked his tongue, remarking, "I guess you really were telling me the truth."

The club owner carried his ailing star into the lift, going up to their suite at the top floor. Laying Etienne on the large four-post bed, Tintoretto unbuttoned the shirt and stripped off the trousers and gloves. He also wiped away the blood from the singer's face with a washcloth.

When he was done, Tintoretto found himself gazing down at the siren on his bed. He could never get tired of looking at the exquisite beauty of his star attraction. Those strange markings all over his body only served to heighten his allure. It was a temptation he could never resist, no matter what state the singer was in.

Loosening his trousers, the Italian climbed on the bed, straddling those slender hips. Spreading the long legs, Tintoretto positioned himself in between and penetrated that puckered opening. Like a bull overwhelmed by the heat of its mate, he thrust repeatedly into the singer's body until he was spent. Throughout the plundering of his flesh, Etienne never awakened.

Taking the insensate young man was not as satisfactory as he had expected. Buttoning up his trousers, Tintoretto left the chamber in silence, locking the door behind him, and pondering whether or not he should cancel the show later that evening.

Ten minutes passed since the door to the suite clicked shut. Then, those dark pink marks blazed with unearthly fire on Etienne's brow, and those malevolent eyes opened.

The entity snorted in disgust at the sight of the semen and blood on the bed sheets_. :That fool Italian doesn't know how to bring a hot-blooded young man such as this to the heights of ecstasy. My poor Etienne! How about I let you enjoy yourself this time?:_

From those strange marks, tongues of red and orange liquid fire poured out, slowly licking down Etienne's cheeks, eliciting a mumble from the singer. The flames descended the long graceful neck, then the right shoulder followed by the left, going down further to his chest and his back. Etienne moaned in pleasure as the flames licked his tender nipples, making them tighten into sharp points. Unconsciously, the singer's hands went up to fondle those taut nubs.

On and on, those flames trailed down Etienne's body, teasing him, fueling him with desire so overwhelming that it demanded to be sated. When the fire finally concentrated at the area of his groin and his just battered entrance, Etienne could no longer endure it.

With his legs splayed to its widest extent, Etienne seized his burgeoning erection in his right hand, while the fingers of his left hand plunged into his opening. The singer cried and moaned in carnal excitement, as he pumped himself vigorously, his fingers thrusting into his bleeding channel at the same frantic rhythm.

_:Say my name Etienne,:_ the entity whispered insidiously, feeling the young man about to reach the peak. _:Say it!:_

The name that the singer uttered with such passion, however, was someone else's.

Etienne sat bolt upright in bed with gasp, just as he spilled his release. His body shaking, he pressed his hand to the darkening bruise on his right cheek that had just received a fierce slap, only to discover his fingers wet and slimy. The bile threatened to rise up his throat, seeing his thighs spattered with semen and blood. In the end, the tears poured from his mismatch eyes, realizing what he had done.

Tintoretto had been bedding him while he lay insensate, and he had, unwittingly, spoken another man's name. A man he had just met…

Etienne shook his head as his mind was filled by image of bright blue eyes so like the morning sky. _This is nothing but foolishness! I cannot jeopardize my existence here, not when salvation is so close! I WON'T!_

But even to his ears, that mental declaration lacked firm resolve.


	5. A Sunday Interlude

Albert had little time to lament the mistakes he had made during his first encounter with the enigmatic Etienne Delacroix. The minute he sat down at his desk at the Embassy, he was immediately inundated by mountain upon mountain of paperwork that, soon, he could not even see his office door from the towering stacks. Albert had a nagging suspicion that much of the paperwork did not belong to his predecessor, and he was right. After reviewing each document, he sent them back to their respective departments, giving each head complete authority to act on these documents within the boundaries of their duties. Beyond that, they were to be sent directly to him. It was a move that surprised everyone. Apparently, the former ambassador distrusted his Luna employees, thinking them to be of the same ilk as the cutthroats roaming the streets. In five days time, Albert had the Embassy running like a well-oiled machine and, to his relief, his paperwork had been whittled down to two to three folders on his desk.

When Sunday at last arrived, Albert found himself sitting in a pew of the crowded little church of the Order of Poor Clares. The nuns sat behind a lattice partition. Still, he could see Sister Bertrille sitting right in front, giving him a smile and a small wave before glaring back at the empty seat in the choir box. Even the orphans, dressed in pure white robes, were anxiously awaiting their soloist.

Feeling rather stifled, Albert loosened his bowtie by running his finger under it. He did not lie to the good nun that he was not a regular churchgoer. His aversion began when he attended Franz's funeral. Back then, it had been difficult for him to accept that it was his best friend lying in repose inside that coffin. It was still the same even now. Every church he went to, all he could remember was Franz dead in a satin-lined box.

Albert squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to block out that memory from his mind. He wanted to remember Franz when he was still alive, certainly not in death.

Believing that he had calmed down enough, he slowly opened his eyes, only to be greeted by a shocking sight.

A young man stood beside the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Baby Jesus. A man with golden hair. There was a charming smile on his face as he waved to Albert.

There was no mistaking that handsome face.

"FRANZ!" Albert leaped to his feet, startling his seatmate. But the young man he had glimpsed was no longer there. In his place was a couple who, Albert realized, had been standing there since he entered the church. He sat down with a disheartened sigh. Franz was dead. How long would it take for him to get over the guilt and the pain?

The ringing of the bells and chimes marked the beginning of the Mass. As he stood up, he noticed that Sister Bertrille had a dark scowl on her face. Then, the children started to sing the entrance hymn, a song called "Sing A New Song." Father Tretini, together with the altar boys, marched solemnly towards the altar.

_So, _Albert mused in dismay, _he's not coming after all._

Then, a voice rose from the back of the small church, its richness causing the disharmonious melodies of the churchgoers to fall silent. The crowd at the opposite aisle parted like the Red Sea, allowing a very familiar figure to stride towards the choir box. Even with each swift step, not once did his voice tremble. When Etienne Delacroix took his place, every man, woman and child had a smile on his or her lips, with Albert's smile being the brightest of them all.

When the opening song ended, Father Tretini cocked his head in the direction of the singer and remarked good-naturedly, "You're late today, Etienne. How about I make your Penance that you sing with me in this Mass' Traditional form?"

Etienne took the thick Missal that was being offered to him by a little girl, but not before giving a sharp glare to Sister Bertrille, who was smiling smugly in the nun's box. "I'll try my best, Father."

As he raised his head, his eyes met Albert's, who mouthed the encouraging words, "You can do it!" Etienne lifted the book to his face to hide the becoming blush on his cheeks.

The next hour and a half, Albert believed himself to be in Heaven. The Holy Mass never failed to drive him into nodding slumber. But not this particular Mass. Somehow, with the magic of his voice, Etienne had revitalized the little church. All sat bright and alert. Father Tretini's sermon was riddled with ribald jokes, reducing everyone to laughter, including Sister Bertrille whose guffaw nearly shocked the novices out of their habits.

When Etienne sang, however, everyone listened. The singer himself appeared to be deep in contemplation, eyes closed and hands clasped before his chest in prayer. Sometimes, he would raise his hands, palms up, as though offering the prayers of all present to the Almighty. God would certainly be deaf if he could not hear the sincerity and earnestness in that enchanting voice.

 

It was after Communion that Albert was jolted by another surprise. At the urging of Father Tretini, Etienne took his place before the altar. A small shake of his head was signal enough for the organist not to accompany him on the song he had chosen to perform.

There was a moment's silence, and then Etienne began to sing…

 

_Ave Maria, gratia plena._

_Maria, gratia plena.  
_

_Maria, gratia plena_

_Ave, ave dominus,_

_dominus tecum._

_Benedicta tu in mulieribus,_

_et benedictus_

_et benedictus fructus ventris_

_ventris tui, Jesus._

_Ave Maria._

 

_Sancta Maria,_

_ora pro nobis,_

_nobis peccatoribus,_

_nunc et in hora_

_mortis nostrae._

_Amen_

 

Albert felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head. The "Ave Maria" had been Franz's favorite song. The one song that soothed the troubled heart of a young man who blamed himself for his father's tragic demise.

The hymn's effect on Albert was totally different. It stirred memories inside his mind that he did not want to remember.

A bitter fight between two friends…

A brief reconciliation…

A huge sword being plunged hard and deep into the heart…

His one, true friend dying in his arms…

Albert was unaware that he was panting heavily, his tears pouring like rain down his face. All he could see was Franz's smiling face as he bled to death.

"Franz! _Franz!_" Albert muttered his beloved friend's name, as he bent over. "I'm so sorry! It's because of me that you died! I killed you!"

Suddenly, everything became a blinding white that he pressed his hands to his face to shield his eyes from the glare. With Etienne's voice wrapping its melody around his wounded heart, Albert heard Franz's laughter in his ears.

_"Stop blubbering like an idiot, Albert!" _Franz scolded him with his usual good cheer. _"You're making him cry!"_

At that remark, Albert's eyelids fluttered open to behold dim shadows looking down at him. Only one face was clearest to him, like the morning sun – Etienne's. Concern furrowed the singer's brow. As Franz had said, Luna's Nightingale was in tears.

The face of Sister Bertrille popped up beside the singer's. "Albert, are you all right? Heavens, you gave all of us quite a fright when you fainted!"

A choked sob escaped Etienne's lips. Pressing his hands over his mouth, he pushed his way through the crowd that had gathered and fled.

"ETIENNE!" Albert struggled to get to his feet, but dizziness made him fall back into the seat.

"You must rest, my son," Father Tretini advised kindly. "Give yourself a little time to recover."

"No, I'm fine, Father," Albert said as he stood up with the help of two kind gentlemen. "Please! I must go after Etienne!"

"He is probably in the garden near the fountain with the statue of St. Michael," Sister Bertrille suggested. Pointing to the door beside the nun's box, she said, "You can go through there."

Although still a bit wobbly, Albert headed straight for the door. It was not difficult to find the singer. The wails of children were all too audible, as well as Etienne's frantic pleas, "Please stop! I promise I won't cry again!"

As Albert emerged into the garden, he saw Etienne sitting on the edge of the fountain, surrounded by little children, all of them not more than seven years old. They were huddled around Etienne like chicks. But as he took one approaching step towards them, the children turned as one in his direction, bloody murder written on their tiny faces.

A little boy, who couldn't be more than five years old, stormed towards Albert. Pointing a finger at the startled young man, he shrieked accusingly, _"You made my Etienne cry!"_ and he stomped his heel down hard on Albert's toe.

Etienne was horrified by the move. "Pierre! Stop tha—"

However, another little girl shouted with bloodthirsty glee, "KILL THE BAD MAN!"

Before Albert knew what was happening, he was desperately dodging well-aimed kicks and punches to his groin and legs. Wanting to get away, he ran all over the garden with the children in hot pursuit. Etienne, who was too stunned to act, winced as Sister Bertrille's prized petunias were trampled under foot.

"WAIT! STOP! I SURRENDER!" Albert cried, waving his hands frantically in the air.

To his dismay, the children's counter cry was still, "KILL THE BAD MAN! HE MADE ETIENNE CRY!"

Albert knew where salvation lay, and he headed straight in the direction of the singer, who was, by now, reduced to laugher.

_"ETIENNE! HELP ME!"_

Etienne's mismatched eyes flew wide, seeing Albert running towards him. _"NO! STOP! STAY AWAY!"_

But it was too late to stop. Albert barreled into the singer, sending them falling into the fountain with a loud splash. With Albert a heavy weight above him, Etienne found himself submerged underneath the water. Lack of air made him sit up abruptly, mouth opening to breathe…only to have his lips meet a startled Albert's mouth.

Both men were shocked to immobility, the beating of their hearts like thunder in their ears. Instinct was screaming for them to end this accidental kiss, but a much stronger force would not permit their lips to part. It was Albert who surrendered to the needs of his lonely heart. Gripping Etienne's arms, he leaned forward and deepened the kiss.

Albert was shoved back and a hard slap was delivered on his cheek. Etienne was leaning against the statue, breathing heavily.

"How dare you!" the singer exclaimed in fury. "I had hoped you would be different from the others! You're all the same! You all want the same thing from me! None of you care about what I feel!"

"No, you're wrong! I never…" Albert knelt before the angry singer, ignoring the fish that were nipping on his legs. "Forgive me, Etienne. I got carried away and I…"

"Are you going to betray me again, Albert de Morcerf?"

Albert gasped at that muttered query. As he lifted his head, for a brief moment, he thought he saw the singer's eyes glowing with an unearthly light.

Seizing Etienne's shoulders, Albert demanded, "What did you say?"

Anger was instantly replaced by fear. "I…I don't know," Etienne stammered, shocked by the sudden change in demeanor in the other man. "I didn't say anything!"

_"Yes, you did!"_ Albert said this with empathic shakes, causing droplets of water to fly from Etienne's dripping mane. _"You called me by another name! Tell me what it is that you called me!"_

Desperate to get an answer out of the now terrified singer, Albert did not notice the children run off, screaming for Sister Bertrille.

Tears filled Etienne's eyes as he gazed at the young man before him. "I'm so sorry, Albert! It's all my fault! The 'Ave Maria', my voice…it brought back painful memories, didn't it? That's why you fainted. That's why you're angry with me now. I thought I'd make you happy but instead I… _I won't sing it ever again! I swear I won't!_"

Albert was seized by guilt and remorse, as he carefully released the trembling singer. What had he done? What he saw earlier could simply be a trick of the bright sunlight. This weeping young man could not be Gankutsuou.

Slowly, so as to not slip in the water, Albert stood up. He held out his hand to the distraught singer, a gentle smile on his face. "We'd better get out of this fountain or we'll both catch a cold."

Etienne hesitated for a minute before tentatively laying his fingertips on that offering hand. Albert's grasp was warm as his fingers closed around the singer's hand, and pulled him out of the fountain.

Sister Bertrille feared murder and mayhem when she arrived at the garden, the children following close behind her together with two nuns. What she saw in the garden filled her heart with joy.

Albert sat at the fountain's edge, his arms wrapped around Etienne, whose head was laid on the young man's chest, his tears glistening like gems on his blue-tinged skin. Albert was soothing the singer with gentle strokes through his luxurious tresses.

"Get some towels, Sisters," the Mother Superior ordered the two nuns. Turning to the children, she ordered, "Come with me."

"But Sister…Etienne…" they were about to argue.

Sister Bertrille shook her head. With a reassuring smile, she said to them, "Let's leave Etienne alone, little ones. Let him be with his Raoul."

 

"I remembered my best friend, Etienne. A very dear friend who loved the 'Ave Maria' with a passion."

The two men sat on a bench underneath a weeping willow in the garden, bundled up in large, thick towels.

Etienne looked at Albert meaningfully. "You must've loved him very much."

"That's the problem. I did not love him enough." That painful admission just burst out of his mouth. "That's why he's dead."

"Albert…"

"I never knew that his love for me was more than that of a friend. I broke off with him, because he dared to speak ill of another whom I admired and, yes, learned to love." Tears fell from Albert's eyes. "When I finally found out the truth…Franz…he took my place in a duel that I had instigated. I saw Franz die at the hands of the man I had given my heart to!"

Etienne was stunned by Albert's confession. He never knew that this cheerful young man held such deep wounds inside his heart.

Albert continued, "It's been seven years, but the guilt remains. I try to remember the happy times of our youth, but I keep going back to that image of him lying in a coffin." He shook his head furiously. "I don't want to remember Franz in death!"

"How did he look inside his coffin?"

Albert was taken aback by that soft query. " What…do you mean?"

"His face, Albert," Etienne prodded patiently. "What did you see when you looked down at his face?"

It tore at Albert's heart to remember. "Franz…it's like he was only sleeping. There was even a hint of a smile on his lips. He looked so…" He never finished what he was going to say as the point the singer was trying to make was driven home to him.

"He looked as though he were at peace," Etienne concluded for him. "That meant he had accomplished his mission in this life, and that is to protect you. Yes, he sacrificed his life, but in my eyes, he is a hero, a noble hero who had been gifted with eternal happiness in the presence of the Almighty." The singer gave Albert a thoughtful smile. "Think of your friend as merely sleeping in a soft bed. Our time here on Earth is as brief as a silent night in eternity. Tomorrow, you'll be sure to see Franz again. All you have to do is just wait and hope."

Albert found himself staring at that beaming face. Wait and hope…the same advice that the Count of Monte Cristo had given to him. Etienne was so like the Count….

"Is something wrong, Albert? You're starting to scare me again."

Hearing the nervous tremor in the singer's words roused Albert from his thoughts. "Forgive me, Etienne. I was just feeling a bit embarrassed to ask this of you, but… Would you please sing the 'Ave Maria' again?"

"But Albert…"

"It's not for me. It's for Franz. Wherever he is, I'm sure he would love to hear you sing it. I promise I won't faint this time."

That heartfelt request touched Etienne's heart. Clearing his throat, he straightened up and sang. Knowing now the story of the two star-crossed friends, he conveyed all of Albert's emotions in every note of the solemn hymn.

_Albert loves you deeply, Franz, and he misses you very much,_ Etienne let these words fill his heart and his song. _Please, Franz. Continue to watch over him. Help him to recover from the pain of your loss._

_:I never knew…I'm sorry…:_

Etienne's voice nearly faltered at the sudden entry of that thought inside his mind. Where had it come from, and why was he feeling guilt and regret?

Probably sensing his hesitation, Albert took Etienne's hands, cupping them between his palms. For a moment, their eyes met. As the song drew to a soft close, Albert slowly leaned forward, his lips slightly parted. Etienne found himself moving as well, closing the distance between them. Then, as their lips met in a tender kiss, their surroundings faded into the ether. Nothing else existed, except for the two of them, the fluttering of their hearts, and the sweet pressure of their lips.

It was Albert who broke the kiss with much reluctance. Etienne's cheeks were rosy, his eyes wide and bright, as his fingertips touched his flushed lips.

"Thank you, Etienne," Albert said with all sincerity. "Thank you so much!"

From the garden door, a nun suddenly called out, "Etienne! Monsieur Tintoretto has arrived to pick you up!"

"Please tell him I'll be right there," Etienne replied, his mismatched eyes still fixed on Albert's sky blue orbs.

As the nun left, the singer stood up, only to have Albert seize his right hand. "When will I see you again?"

"Sunday…if my Master permits it…."

"Let me escort you to the front gate at least."

Etienne, however, shook his head. "No, please don't. It would be better if Monsieur Tintoretto did not see you. I promise I'll do everything I can to be here on Sunday."

The singer pulled his hand out of Albert's grasp as he ran for the door. Reaching the doorway, he paused.

"Albert…" Etienne began haltingly. "The man who killed Franz… Where is he now?"

That question took Albert by surprise. "He is…dead."

"I'm glad," Etienne said firmly, the relief obvious in his voice. "I don't think I could forgive the man who killed your best friend and broke your heart."

Etienne did not wait for Albert's reply as he hurried to the front gate where he knew Tintoretto was waiting for him impatiently. Passing through the church, he somehow glanced at the image of the Blessed Virgin and Her Child. A blond haired young man stood beside the statue, clapping his hands. Strange, the singer thought, that he could not hear those hearty claps. As he neared the doors of the church, the young man bowed to him graciously.

"Thank you…" Etienne heard a warm, gentle voice inside his head. To these two words, three more were added, "…And I promise."

"ETIENNE!"

Tintoretto's sharp voice distracted the singer. When he turned one last time to the statue, the young man had disappeared.


	6. Two Friends' Visit

 

Albert determinedly placed the copy of "Le Fantome de l'Opera" inside his coat pocket. He had been seeing Etienne for the past three Sundays, but, always, he kept on forgetting to give it to the singer. He was already feeling guilty. Etienne had been giving him privileged, albeit secret, performances at the Order's small church, and yet he could not do something as simple as return a book to its rightful owner.

He patted the book in his pocket. _This time, I won't forget._

The door to his chamber quietly opened and his housekeeper entered. "Your Excellency, you have two visitors waiting for you downstairs."

"Hildegarde, I thought I informed the staff that I do not entertain guests on a Sunday," Albert reminded the stern-faced woman with a trace of irritation.

The housekeeper bowed in apology. "Forgive me, but they were very insistent. They said they were friends of yours from Paris."

Albert whirled. "From Paris?" Despite his impatience to go to church, he hurried outside his room, down the stairs, heading for the front parlor. There, two people he never expected to see greeted him.

"Lucien! Beauchamp!" the young Ambassador gave his friends tight embraces. "You're a sight for sore eyes! What brings you here to Luna?"

Beauchamp grinned as he tucked his ever-inseparable camera under his arm. "We just thought we'd pay a visit to our dear friend, the Ambassador to Luna." He trained his gaze on the lovely landscapes and portraits adorning the walls of Albert's modest estate. "I must say this place is a lot more cheerful-looking than when I was last here. Old Benilde preferred military paintings – the bloodier, the better."

"True," Albert agreed with the journalist. The former envoy's taste in art was too similar to his late father's. "I had everything shipped to him in Paris."

"Is it true what your housekeeper told us?" Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Lucien Dupre put in with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "You are going to church today? I know how painful it is for you to enter any place of worship. Something must have happened to make you return to the faith."

"Yes, in a way," Albert reluctantly admitted. "I hope you won't think me rude, but I don't want to be late."

"Why don't we go there together?" Beauchamp suggested, much to Albert's chagrin. "My soul is in need of a little cleansing."

"Beauchamp! I never knew you had a soul!"

It was Lucien who became serious. "To be honest, this is not a courtesy call, Albert. There is an official matter that we need to discuss with you about."

 

Albert was stunned by what his friends revealed to him. "A white slavery ring? Here in Luna?"

Lucien nodded solemnly. "It's been in operation for the past five years. I believe you are aware of the spate of kidnappings occurring in this city. You were once a victim yourself."

"Yes, but in my case, it was more of a kidnap-for-ransom."

"Well, not anymore. The Interior Ministry has an agent here. According to him, the syndicate targets young, attractive nobles – men, women and even children. They wipe out their memories through an unknown brainwashing procedure and sell them to brothels all over the galaxy."

"I came from the planet Aurelius recently," Beauchamp then said. "A young prostitute had been found brutally raped and murdered in the sewer. It turned out to be the son of Baron D'Estaing who had been missing for five months now."

Albert's handsome face became grim as he gazed out into the passing streets from the carriage window. "Who'd ever thought that such atrocities are being committed here? Do you have any idea on where their base of operations is?"

"Unfortunately, no," answered Lucien in disappointment. "Our agent has yet to dig up its location."

"However," Beauchamp interrupted, "from my own investigation, I've discovered that all the missing nobles shared one thing in common."

"And what's that?" Albert inquired.

"That they were all regular patrons of a popular nightclub here – the La Decadenza."

"LA DECADENZA?"

Lucien readily observed the shock on his friend's face. "So you know the place. Have you been there?"

Albert shook his head. "No, I haven't. The club's booked for two months."

"It seems that the owner is good friends with whoever is running the syndicate." Beauchamp raised his eyebrows in suspicion. "Why do you seem disappointed that you couldn't enter the club?"

"I wouldn't say that I'm…disappointed. Eugenie wanted me to go there because… I don't think there's a pressing reason for me to get a reservation at La Decadenza now, especially after I… But still I want to…"

Lucien's lips pursed in a disapproving grimace. "Are you ever going to finish what you're going to say, Albert? What does Eugenie have to do with La Decadenza?"

Albert breathed out a defeated sigh as the carriage rolled over to a stop before the church. "I would've wanted to come here alone, but I guess I have no choice. There is someone I would like you to meet. However, please do not tell him anything about me, like that I'm the ambassador and that I'm also a friend of Eugenie's. And one other thing…" He turned to Beauchamp. "This matter stays out of the press. Do I make myself clear?"

The two men were surprised by Albert's strong requests. "You don't have anything to worry about, Albert," Beauchamp reassured the younger man. "I can be discreet if I want to. Besides, I'm working with the Ministry on this." The journalist frowned. "After I saw Viscount d'Estaing's body, I swore to myself that no other boy or girl would suffer his fate."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Beauchamp," Albert praised his friend, smiling in relief, as he got down from the carriage.

Following after their young friend, Lucien and Beauchamp's ears instantly caught the most wonderful voice they had ever heard coming from within the church. The minute they entered, they looked at once for the singer.

Etienne, who was singing in the choir box, seemed crestfallen at first, thinking that his friend wouldn't be showing up, until he saw Albert at the door. His face brightened as he gave Albert a shy wave.

As Albert expected, collective gasps rose from the two men behind him.

"My God!" Lucien exclaimed. "It's the Count of Monte Cristo!"

"No, that's not the Count," Albert told a shocked Lucien. "His name is Etienne Delacroix, but he is more popularly known as the 'Nightingale of Luna.'"

Beauchamp stared at his young friend in disbelief. "_He's_ the 'Nightingale of Luna'? The star of La Decadenza?" The journalist could not stop himself from slapping his hand to his forehead, the sharp sound warranting a "Shush!" from disturbed churchgoers. "Damn it, Albert! You always live dangerously!"

Albert simply shrugged and gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry. You know I could never resist an adventure."

 

"Etienne, I would like you to meet two good friends of mine from Paris – Lucien Dupre and Beauchamp."

Albert saw a brief flash of resentment on the singer's face at having unwanted guests during their Sunday tryst. Still, Etienne gave Lucien and Beauchamp a warm smile and a gracious bow.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, gentlemen," the Nightingale said in greeting. "Any friends of Albert's are friends of mine as well."

"Oh, no! The pleasure is ours, I assure you!" Lucien declared, waving his hands. "Your reputation precedes you, Monsieur Delacroix. I never imagined that Beauchamp and I would be meeting Luna's talented Nightingale, much more that you and Albert are friends."

"Please call me 'Etienne'," the singer encouraged them. "Actually, I owe Albert my life. He saved me from being run over by a carriage. _His_ carriage, I might add." He gave Albert a wry grin. "Besides, I couldn't ignore his offers of friendship even if I wanted to. He is very persistent."

Beauchamp's laughter echoed in the empty church. "Yes, Albert is indeed that. A pest!"

"How dare you!" Albert declared in grievous affront.

Clearing his throat, Lucien carefully began, "Please don't think me rude if I say this, Etienne, but after hearing you sing, I'm convinced that your great talent is being wasted in a small club like La Decadenza. You should be singing in the greatest opera houses in Paris."

"That's what Eugenie told Signore Tintoretto, my employer."

"You know Eugenie Danglars?" Lucien absentmindedly inquired. He would have said more if Albert had not shot him a warning glance. "Why, she's a good friend of…of Beauchamp and I. We met her during one of her concerts, right, Beauchamp?"

Beauchamp swiftly nodded.

A hopeful smile lit up Etienne's face. "Then, you're the friends that Eugenie wrote to me about!" To their surprise, the singer took their hands in an earnest grasp. Both Lucien and Beauchamp looked to Albert, the confusion written on their faces.

"I know we just met," Etienne exclaimed in utter desperation. "But please, I'm begging you! Help me to leave La Decadenza! I…_I'll do anything!_"

Albert saw his two friends blanch at that entreaty. They knew exactly what the poor singer was offering in exchange for their assistance. Albert must admit the scene he had just beheld surprised him as well. Etienne had never told him about Eugenie's letter, perhaps because Albert himself had never introduced himself as a friend of the pianist. In retrospect, he was glad he had not done so. Thankfully, Lucien and Beauchamp knew better than to divulge his true identity. If Etienne was this desperate to leave La Decadenza, then they needed him to be close to the singer.

The same thoughts were running through the minds of Beauchamp and Lucien. Together, they urged Etienne towards pew.

As they sat down, Beauchamp began gently and with much concern, "Please do tell us why you are so desperate to leave the club, Etienne?"

For a moment, the singer hesitated, glancing back at Albert, who gave him an encouraging nod. Etienne's voice trembled as he told them about his life at La Decadenza – Tintoretto's cruelty, his other 'duties'. Despite his talent, the singer was nothing more than a common whore. Despite careful inquiry, they were able to glean nothing about the white slavery ring or its connection with the club.

"Eugenie told me that I deserved a better life than this," Etienne's voice was strained, on the verge of tears. "Am I wrong to desire freedom?" He whirled around to look at Albert. "Tell me, Albert! Do I not deserve to be free like everyone else?"

Albert took the singer's gloved hands and squeezed them gently. "Of course you do! It's wrong for Tintoretto to keep you locked up like this for him to do as he pleases."

"Very true," Beauchamp nodded in complete approval. "You are not his property."

"So…" Etienne began hopefully. "Will you help me?"

"Let me be frank with you, Etienne." Lucien laid his elbow on the armrest of the pew and sighed. "This won't be easy. If we are to free you from Tintoretto, we need to know if he is doing something illegal, charges that will stick when we have him arrested. We would need your help on this."

"You're talking about that white slavery ring, am I right?"

"Yes. I won't lie to you. It's going to be dangerous. But this is the only way that I could think of to get you out of that damned club. Can we count on your assistance in this, Etienne?"

The singer nodded eagerly. "Like I said, I will do anything to be free. Even if Tintoretto catches me…" A tearful smile formed on his lips. "If he…kills me, death would be another form of escape, isn't it?"

"Don't you dare think about death!" Albert blurted out, shocked that the singer would even suggest such a thing. "Nothing's going to happen to you! I won't let Tintoretto or anyone else do you harm!"

Etienne looked at Albert, stunned. "Albert…"

"Albert's right. Don't think that way." Beauchamp patted Etienne's back. "We swear we'll free you from that bastard somehow. Just be patient and hope for the best. And never give in to fear or despair."

"Why should I be afraid," Etienne asked, "when I now have very good friends who would help me?" The Nightingale's odd-colored eyes focused on Beauchamp's camera. "May I ask you one small favor, Beauchamp?"

"Certainly! What is it?"

Etienne blushed in embarrassment. "I've never had my picture taken before. Signore Tintoretto does not want my photo to appear in the posters at the club. Just one picture, please? Together with Albert?"

Beauchamp readied his camera. "Why just one? I think I still have enough film in here." Standing, he invited the singer and Albert, "Come on, you two! Let's capture some memories for posterity!"

 

Etienne could feel Albert's quiet presence behind him as he waved goodbye to the two men inside the departing carriage. Even when the carriage was already out of sight, he was apprehensive to face his dear friend.

"You never told me…" was Albert's softly spoken words.

"Albert, I never made any pretensions to be anything but a prostitute, you know that," Etienne told him bitterly. "I wish I didn't have to divulge what I do at the club, but your friends needed to know so that…"

"So that you can escape from La Decadenza. But my real question is why didn't you tell me that you wanted your freedom? I thought you and I were friends. I could help you. All you have to do is ask." Albert's face saddened. "Or is it because you don't trust me. When I told you before that I admired your voice, you mistook me for a potential…client. Is that how you see me, Etienne? Do I look like a man who would force his desires upon another who is unwilling?"

Etienne spun around on his heels at those pained queries. "No, Albert! I never thought of you in that way!"

"Then, why did you readily trust Beauchamp and Lucien? Why not me?"

"It's because…" The singer dropped his arms helplessly to his sides, his hands closing into tight fists. "I think of you as more than a friend, Albert. I didn't want you to get involved in this mixed up life of mine. And…I didn't tell your friends everything. Not even Sister Bertrille knows…."

Albert's brows knitted together in a frown. "What do you mean?"

"While Tintoretto may be my employer, he is not my _true_ owner. It is someone else. Someone very dangerous. Someone who has no hesitations about killing." Tears streamed down Etienne's cheeks. "I don't want him to hurt you, Albert! That's why I've been keeping our friendship a secret! If anything should happen to you, I'll just die!"

Albert flung his arms around the poor singer. "Nothing's going to happen to me, Etienne. It's you I'm more worried about. Listen." He pinched Etienne's chin between his fingertips and bade him to look up. "I promise you we'll do everything we can to take you away from that place. I swear that I'll be careful, if you'll also promise that you'll be just as cautious yourself."

Etienne crushed Albert in a tight hug. "I promise, Albert. For both our sakes!"

Albert pulled away from the singer's embrace. Grinning, he said, "Before I forget, this belongs to you." Taking out the novel, he pressed it into the Nightingale's hands.

"My book!" Etienne exclaimed. "I completely forgot all about it! Have you been keeping this for me all this time? Thank you, Albert."

"There's something else that I want to give you." Albert reached into his pocket and pulled out a shiny gold watch on a chain. "Keep this…as a token of my affection."

Etienne flipped open the lid and read the inscription, " 'Death is certain. The hour uncertain.' How morbid."

"I thought so as well when it was first given to me. It belonged to someone who was very dear to me. I want you to have it."

The singer pressed the book and the watch close to his heart. "I shall cherish this forever."

Pulling Etienne into his embrace once more, Albert leaned forward and gave him a loving kiss.

So enrapt were the two men with each other that they did not notice the black car that was parked on the opposite side of the street. Signore Gasparde was seething in fury at the sight of his favorite whore kissing another man.

"Do you think you're too good enough for me, Etienne Delacroix?" he muttered ominously as he patted the thick billfold inside his pocket. "Well, we shall see about that!"

 

"Lucien! LUCIEN!"

Lucien almost jumped out of his skin as the door to Beauchamp's dark room banged open. "What the hell's the matter? You scared the shit out of me!"

"Come here, will you?" Beauchamp cried urgently.

"Alright, alright! I'm coming!" The flamboyant Chief Secretary sauntered over to the dark room, taking his time to go inside. Through the dim red glow of the lamp, he growled, "What is it?"

"I just developed the pictures of Etienne Delacroix, and…" Beauchamp hung up the photos one by one on the line. "Damn it! Just see for yourself!"

"What? I don't see anything," he argued, as he gazed at the picture of Etienne and Albert standing in front of the altar.

But as he looked at the other photographs, Lucien felt his blood run cold. The singer's head was shrouded by a dark pink halo, which slowly began to cover his face with each successive shot taken, eating away his handsome features.

It was the last photograph that caused Lucien to shudder involuntarily. It was supposed to be a close-up of the singer and Albert. The two men were laughing and smiling when Beauchamp had taken that picture. But Etienne's face was now completely covered by pink marks. Six eyes blazed from those eerie markings.

_"Gankutsuou…"_ The Chief Secretary breathed out the dreaded name of the demon that had destroyed an innocent man's life and nearly ruined his friend's.

"God, I thought he was dead! Lucien, we must tell Albert about this," Beauchamp told Lucien. "His life could be in danger!"

Despite himself, Lucien gazed again at the photograph of Gankutsuou. There was something about that picture….

In the end, Lucien shook his head. "No. Not yet. This…is not the right time."

Beauchamp stared aghast at his friend. "What the hell are you talking about? Etienne Delacroix is Gankutsuou! We cannot let him harm Albert! This happened before with the Count of Monte Cristo. We knew something was dreadfully wrong with the Count, but we did nothing! Are we just going to sit back once more and let him destroy our friend?"

"No, Beauchamp. I'm just saying that we wait and see what Gankutsuou is up to."

"But Lucien…!"

Lucien did not say anything more as he took Gankutsuou's photograph and tucked it inside his pocket. Quietly, he went outside the dark room. Alone once more, he pulled out the picture and gazed at it closely.

No, Beauchamp would not understand, the Chief Secretary thought. How could he explain to his friend that he could not detect any aura of malevolence emanating from the creature in this photograph? How could he tell Beauchamp that Gankutsuou was regarding Albert beside him with undisguised fondness?


	7. Dangerous Liaisons

 

When Etienne arrived at the La Decadenza after his tryst with Albert, he was readily met by Tintoretto, who informed him that he would not be performing that evening. The Italian did not give him any reasons for this sudden change in schedule. Still, such day-offs were rare that the singer decided to take advantage of it. Going up to their suite, he gathered all the nice letter paper he could find and plopped right down at his desk to write that much delayed letter to Eugenie Danglars.

The words flowed from his pen like running water as he narrated to the pianist everything that had happened to him. Etienne described his meeting with Lucien and Beauchamp, and their promise to help him leave the club. Of course, Albert was certainly not left out. By the time he was finished with his ten-page missive, he was chagrined to see that he had used up six of those pages just talking about Albert alone.

Smiling, Etienne added as a postscript, "Forgive me if I seemed to have rambled on a lot about Albert. But I'm sure if you two meet, you'll understand why. You and Albert have changed my life, and I thank you so much for that."

Done, the singer gazed outside the window. Engrossed as he was with his writing, he did not realize that night had already fallen. He stretched his arms up and yawned.

"My, how quickly time flies!" he mused aloud, as he opened his drawer. The gold pocket watch that Albert had given him caught his eye. He picked it up and laid it on his palm, opening the cover.

Death is certain. The hour uncertain.

Albert had told him that the watch had been a gift from someone dear to him. At first, he thought it had come from Franz. However, he always imagined the late Baron d'Epinay to be of cheerful disposition, same as his friend. These words were just too sinister, definitely not appropriate to be engraved on a watch that was meant to be a gift.

"Who gave you to Albert?" Etienne quietly asked the pocket watch, not at all expecting a reply.

From out of nowhere, someone answered, _:It came from my friend.: _

Etienne nearly dropped the watch in his shock. Pressing his hands to his temples, he wondered fearfully if he was about to suffer another attack. He waited and waited for that splitting headache to develop. Thankfully, he felt no pain.

The singer dismissed it as a trick of his mind. Figuring that he would ask Albert about the watch next Sunday, Etienne put it back inside his dresser, together with his letter to Eugenie, and locked it. With nothing else to do, he decided to go down and see what was happening at the club. Regardless of what Tintoretto had said, he would not mind if he sang an impromptu number or two.

However, the singer's happiness was short-lived when he was met by one of the bouncers just as he stepped out of the lift.

"You have a customer, Etienne," burly Bruno informed him. "He's waiting for you at the lounge."

So here was the true reason for his day-off. Sighing, he told the bouncer, "Let me get changed first, Bruno."

"No, you're fine the way you look. You'd better hurry. He's been waiting for half an hour. Oh, and he paid for an all-nighter, so…"

Etienne glumly answered, "Yes, I understand."

The bouncer noticed the sorrow on the singer's face. Bruno quickly added, "If you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to buzz me, all right?"

"I will," Etienne beamed at the big man, feeling a bit guilty as well. Of all the bouncers at La Decadenza, it was Bruno who looked after his welfare. "Thank you, Bruno."

Lest his client become angry at his lateness and complain with Tintoretto, the singer hurried into the lift and went straight up to the lounge.

"Good evening," Etienne greeted cheerfully as he entered the guest lounge. "I'm so sorry I'm late. I…."

The words died in his throat at the sight of Gasparde sitting on the velvet armchair. The man was already dressed in a loose robe, prepared for the sensual night ahead. He was dismayed to notice that the bottle of brandy on the table beside him was completely consumed. If there's anything that the singer dreaded, it was to have this particular client drunk.

"You certainly kept me waiting, Etienne," Gasparde slurred the words as he stood up, slowly approaching the singer like a predator.

"I did not mean to, Monsieur Gasparde," Etienne stammered fearfully. "If I had known it was you, I would have…"

"You would have told your Master that I have some kind of disease so you wouldn't have to service me."

The singer took a step back, the urge to flee growing stronger with every second. Gasparde grabbed his arm before he could do so, and yanked him close to his rank body.

"Monsieur Gasparde, no…" Etienne struggled to break free from the man's loathsome embrace.

"You can't lie to me, boy," Gasparde whispered in his ear. "I know why you've been avoiding me. There's someone else, isn't there? A handsome young man with brown hair and blue eyes… Someone whom Tintoretto doesn't know about."

_Albert!_

"I…I don't know what you're talking about."

Gasparde dug his fingers into the singer's hair and jerked his head back. "Don't deny it! He's your lover!"

"No, you've got it wrong!" Etienne cried. "He's just a friend, someone I met at the church."

"Would you kiss a friend on the lips like this?"

Etienne wanted to gag as Gasparde pressed his mouth to his lips, a lewd, rank tongue intruding into his moist depths. This disgusting kiss was something that the singer could not take.

His hand went up before he knew he was doing so, and he slapped the man in the face. It was a terrible mistake, the singer realized. The mad glint in Gasparde's rheumy eyes spoke of horrid things he intended to do to the younger man.

With a speed that he never knew the fat man was capable of, Gasparde tackled Etienne to the floor. The singer lashed out with his fists and feet, feeling those big hands probing his body. But Gasparde stilled him with a punch to his face. At once, blood welled up inside his mouth and he fell back dazed. Gasparde took advantage of the singer's condition to strip him of his clothing. When the older man pressed his full weight down on him, Etienne struggled anew, trying to wrench his hands free from the tight hold on his wrists.

"STOP IT!" Etienne screamed as he brought his knee up, directly connecting with the man's groin.

As Gasparde doubled over, the singer crawled away from him, but not before seeing the man's private parts.

This time, Etienne found himself gagging on the carpet. Gasparde's member was red and swollen, the length covered entirely by pustules that oozed with a thick, greenish yellow fluid.

"So you find me disgusting, eh, my pretty Nightingale?" Gasparde reached out and grabbed the singer's ankle. Etienne's fingers dug into the carpet, trying in vain to get a secure hold. Gasparde, however, was much too strong.

Pulling Etienne onto his lap, he muttered ominously, "I paid a fortune for this night with you. I intend to get my money's worth whether you like it or not."

"Don't, Monsieur Gasparde!" Etienne was close to weeping. "Please don't do this to me!"

But Gasparde spun him around abruptly that the singer found himself facing that putrid erection. "Let's see if that mouth of yours is good for something other than singing."

Tears began to stream down Etienne's face as his head was forcefully pushed down onto that disgusting member.

Then, rage, an emotion that was completely alien to him, rose up inside his heart like the magma of a volcano. The singer's right hand closed around that diseased length and gave it a hard twist. Gasparde howled in agony as he tried to pry that iron grip from his erection.

Etienne watched what happened next as though he were merely a casual observer. His left hand went up to his face, and he removed his glove with his teeth. He was stunned to see that his fingernails had become sharp claws.

Then, he spoke in a voice that was his own and yet knew did not belong to him. "Filthy son of a bitch! Do you think I would take that putrid thing inside my mouth? I'm of a mind to slash it off right now!"

"No, no, Etienne!" Gasparde screeched. "Please don't!" Those terror-filled cries were silenced by thrusting the fingers of his right hand, dripping with pus, into the fat man's mouth. Gasparde blanched and he fell over to the side, retching his guts out.

"Disgusting, isn't it?" the singer asked Gasparde in derision.

With a strength he never knew he possessed, Etienne reached down and snatched Gasparde's hair. He dragged the retching fat man by the hair into the lift and pressed the 'Down' button. As the lift stopped at the ground floor, Etienne went straight to Tintoretto's office, ignoring the startled looks of Bruno and the other bouncers. Kicking the door open, he shoved Gasparde on the floor, right in front of the shocked club owner.

"Etienne!" Tintoretto was outraged. "What's the meaning of this? What did you do to Signore Gasparde?"

In reply, the singer yanked up the hem of the fat man's robe and showed him the purulent member. Tintoretto's face color changed into a sickly green.

"I told you before that I will not have this diseased bastard taking liberties upon my body," Etienne answered back strongly.

Tintoretto turned to Gasparde, who was gasping for breath. "Forgive me, Signore. I will return your money this instant."

"You will not!" the singer declared. "After the humiliation I endured, I demand some compensation." He waved his right hand, which he had used to grab the fat man's erection. "Besides, I would need it in case my poor hand develops an infection."

The money he had paid was not on Gasparde's mind. _"He's a demon! A demon, I tell you!"_ he screeched at Tintoretto, before fleeing from his office.

When they were finally alone, Tintoretto stormed towards Etienne and slapped him hard in the face, causing the younger man's head to whip to the side at the blow, his long hair covering his face.

"You've gone too far, Etienne!" Tintoretto shouted. "That man was an important client! You did not have to do that!" He fumbled for his belt, determined to give his singer the thrashing that he deserved. "Perhaps, I should teach you your place!"

Tintoretto's wrist was seized before he could lash out at the singer.

"You? You are going to teach me _my_ place?" Etienne asked derisively, as he twisted the Italian's wrist painfully back. With a shake of his head, he let his hair fall back, so that his face was clearly seen. "Do you have any idea _who _you are talking to?"

Something on Etienne's face caused Tintoretto's eyes to widen and a gasp to escape from his lips. Satisfied that he had made his point clear to the evil Italian, the singer released him.

"Let me make this clear to you, Tintoretto," Etienne declared as he strode outside the office. "I do not want this happen again."

Luna's Nightingale did not wait for the Italian's reply. Closing the door behind him, he headed for the lift, brushing aside the questions that a concerned Bruno had for him. He went straight up to the suite on the fourth floor.

Entering the suite, Etienne felt himself sag wearily to the floor, the incredible strength he possessed earlier suddenly leaving him.

_My God! What just happened? _Etienne thought in fear and confusion. _That couldn't be me, was it?_

_:No, it was me.:_

The singer's face jerked upwards at that answer to his question. The motion found him looking at his reflection in the mirror. He was horrified to see the dark pink marks that glowed on his forehead. From two curlicues, glowing eyes peered back at him.

_:Are you all right, Etienne?: _

Despite his fear of the entity inhabiting his body, Etienne readily sensed the concern in his query. "Yes, I'm fine. It was you, wasn't it? You were the one who saved me from Gasparde."

An amused chuckle. _:Well, I certainly couldn't have us infected by that disgusting cock of his now, can I?:_

Etienne found himself laughing as well. "Very true, and I thank you so much for that." The singer inched close to the mirror. Curiously, he touched the marks on his face, his fingertips accidentally touching the eyes. "I'm sorry. Did that hurt?"

Those glowing eyes blinked furiously as they began to tear up. _:Not really. Just don't do that again.:_

"I take it you've been living inside my body all this time. Why is it only now that you've made your presence known to me?"

:I wasn't strong enough then. In truth, I still haven't regained all of my powers yet. But I think it was enough to rid you of that pig.:

"Is it true what Gasparde said? Are you a demon?"

:It depends. What do you think am I?:

Etienne thought for a long moment. "I must admit I was frightened of you before."

:Are you saying that you're not afraid of me now?:

"Not exactly but… I think I'd like to get to know you first before I make any premature judgments. That would be fair, right?"

Inside his mind, the entity laughed. _:You are a delightful creature, Etienne Delacroix!:_

"And I find you quite intriguing." Etienne gave the entity a warm smile. "Thank you very much…Gankutsuou."

Gankutsuou gave the young man a gracious bow. _:You are most welcome, my dear Angel of Music.:_

 

It took Tintoretto almost an hour and a whole bottle of Madeira to calm his quaking nerves. He had been warned about it actually. But to actually see those marks, to behold the face of the Devil himself…

Wiping the sweat from his brow, the Italian picked up his phone with a trembling hand and punched in a number. After only two rings, the telephone on the other end was answered.

"Who the hell is this?" an annoyed voice growled into the receiver. "I said I didn't want to be disturbed."

"I'm sorry, Boss," Tintoretto stammered an apology. "It is I, Tintoretto."

"What the hell do you want? I told you to lie low for awhile because the Interior Ministry is on to us."

"No, it's not the Ministry, boss. It's that…other…matter." Before the man on the other end could say anything, Tintoretto blurted out, "I saw _him_, Boss! _HIM!_ He almost emasculated one of our clients!"

"Didn't I tell you to be selective of the clients you give to my Nightingale? Let me guess! It's Gasparde, wasn't it? Every whore in the four quadrants knows that he has a disease. Damned bastard should've gotten what he deserved!"

"But boss…"

"Never mind. I'll finish a little business here and then I'll fly straight back to Luna."

"But what about Etienne?"

"Just let him do what he does best in the meantime. Let him sing. When I arrive there, he will service no other client except for me. Which is my right after all, since _I_ am his _true_ owner, and not you."

 

The man put down the receiver of his phone, cutting off whatever else Tintoretto was going to say. He gave the whore beside him a pat on the behind before standing up. He went towards the window and gazed up at Luna's skull face.

An evil smile curled up the corners of his lips. "So you've awakened at last, Gankutsuou. Very soon, you and I shall be reunited, and we shall see who among us should be the true Ruler of the Underworld."


	8. La Decadenza

 

A weary Albert trudged through the hallway of the Embassy, heading for his office. He had just come from an exceptionally boring meeting, which he could have dismissed earlier if only he possessed an iota of rudeness to interrupt Liaisons Officer Cornelius Avanti's lengthy budget report. He was particularly envious of his personal aide, Thierry Dordet. The young man had fallen fast asleep in his seat, and no one realized that he was sleeping because he nodded at every emphatic point that Avanti made while tapping his pen on his note pad.

"Sunday seems oh so far away," Albert mumbled dejectedly.

When he entered his office, however, it was to see Bertuccio and Baptistin standing before his desk.Both men had wide toothy grins on their faces. Albert's eyes narrowed, wondering what kind of mischief they were up to.

"All right, I surrender!" Albert declared, raising both arms in the air. "What's with that silly look on your ugly mugs?"

The two men looked at each other for a moment. Then, Baptistin flashed a black and red card before his eyes. Because it was too close to his face, Albert could not make out what was written in gold print.

"TAA DAA!" Baptistin exclaimed. "After long weeks of waiting and pressuring the right people, you FINALLY have a reservation at La Decadenza for this Friday night!"

Hearing those words, Albert snatched the ticket that the rogue was waving around. "Really? You're not kidding, right? This isn't fake?" Recalling the words 'pressuring people', he asked suspiciously, "Tell me you didn't kill someone to get this ticket."

Bertuccio feigned hurt. "Come now, Albert! Would we do something like that? With the permission of Princess Haydee, we decided to tap into the vast resources of the Count to get you this reservation. We would've done it sooner, but we feared you might not approve."

"Besides," Baptistin added, "the only way you could get into that club is through money, and I do mean lots of it. You should've seen how Tintoretto's eyes popped out of its sockets when we gave him a hundred thousand ducats."

"A HUNDRED THOU… Well, I would've preferred if you hadn't used the Count's money, but…" It was Albert's turn to grin. "I'm sure he would understand. It's for a good cause after all."

"Before I forget, I told Tintoretto that you are to be personally introduced to Etienne, being an ardent admirer and all that," Bertuccio suddenly remembered. "I _did not_ tell him that you are the Ambassador to Luna. I merely said that you are a young businessman from Marseille. I think it would be best to preserve your anonymity at this time."

"Thanks for your discretion, gentlemen." Albert let out a happy whoop and he jumped up and down like a little boy, much to the amusement of Baptistin and Bertuccio. "Now the next problem is what in heaven's name am I going to wear?"

 

Amidst the flashing strobe lights of La Decadenza, Albert sat conspicuously and miserably at his reserved table, with the desire to kill someone growing stronger with every passing minute.

It turned out that Friday was the Youth/Dance Night at the club. All the clubbers were attired in casual clothes to make it easier for them to dance to the loud, wild, gyrating music that was being played by the band on stage.

Poor Albert was totally out of place. At the insistence of Bertuccio and Baptistin that he make an impression on Etienne, he decided to go to La Decadenza dressed in a dashing black tuxedo and a smart bowtie around his neck. The minute he entered the club, he was instantly met by looks of amusement. Quite a few of the youths actually laughed.

Hearing a snicker from the table behind him, Albert gulped down his brandy and snarled. "I'm going to kill those two when I get home!" Already, he was dreading the singer's reaction if he saw him in this outfit.

Before he could even think of sneaking out of the club to spare himself from any further embarrassment, the band stopped playing and the emcee announced Etienne's name to the roar of the crowd. Albert found himself plopping right back down on his seat as Luna's Nightingale took center stage to wild applause and the thunderous beating of drums.

Never had Albert seen Etienne like this. The singer was wearing a shimmering silver shirt of silk with black pants so tight that they clung to his long legs. On his feet he wore velvet boots that were just right for dancing. Indeed, Etienne danced and pranced gracefully on stage, his voice not once faltering or missing a beat as he moved. His long hair flowed like a mantle with every twist of his head, every jerk of his body.

Albert stared transfixed. This was a side of Etienne that he never imagined. Raw, sensual, powerful… Already, he could feel a certain part of his anatomy stirring at that shameless display.

Etienne's set consisted of ten numbers – six dance tunes and four love songs that Luna's youth enjoyed. When Tintoretto escorted him down the stage, his face and hair was glistening with beads of sweat. He smiled and shook hands with the teens and young adults who offered him their praise. It took a few minutes for Albert to register that the singer was being taken his way.

"Monsieur Herrera, it is a pleasure that you could come to our little establishment. I am Claudio Tintoretto, the owner of La Decadenza," the Italian gushed, but not before dubiously eyeing the younger man's attire. "Please allow me to introduce to you our star, Etienne Delacroix."

There was a look of shock on Etienne's face, seeing Albert in the very place that he had forbidden him to go to. Albert, however, maintained a veneer of calm. Instead of shaking the hand that the singer offered, he took it in his open palm and gave the gloved fingertips a dainty kiss. A blush quickly went up Etienne's cheeks.

Thankfully, the lights in the club were too dim for Tintoretto to see how flustered his talent had become. With a bow, he said to Albert, "I shall leave Etienne in your capable hands, Monsieur."

When the Italian finally left them alone, Albert pulled back a chair and the singer sank down on it. Before his friend could get settled down, Etienne exclaimed in disbelief, "Are you insane, Albert? What are you doing here?" With a grimace, the singer added, "And why are you dressed like a penguin?"

"I told you I wanted to see you perform at La Decadenza, so here I am," was Albert's simple answer. "As for my attire, I thought I'd make a nice impression on you. I didn't know I could wear something casual tonight. Still, don't I look dashing?" He even made a sweeping gesture to himself that infuriated the Nightingale.

"Isn't it enough that I sing for you at the Order?"

"But this is different. I doubt if you could sing those songs you just sang in church. Sister Bertrille would be scandalized. I must admit that I never imagined that you could sing such bawdy tunes."

Etienne snorted, as he crossed his arms over his chest, gravely offended. "So you think me a heathen now because I sing 'bawdy tunes'. Excuse me, Monsieur Herrera, but I am an _artiste_, and whatever songs I choose to sing are my business. Besides, what kind of singer would I be if I don't expand my repertoire? May I also add that I happen to like heathen music, so there!"

"Forgive me, Etienne," Albert said with all the sincerity he could muster. "I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that I was really surprised. I never knew you could…dance…so well."

The singer was not convinced by that apology. "I know what's on your mind, Monsieur Herrera. You're thinking that I dance like a harlot!"

"Well…I…" Albert scratched his head. "Are we just going to quarrel the whole night? Or is the _real_ reason why you're angry is because I'm here?"

Etienne's features softened at those entreaties. "Do you have any idea of what could happen to the two of us if Tintoretto should find out that we know each other?"

"I won't tell him if you won't."

Seeing that he could not convince the grinning young man to leave the club, he breathed out a sigh of defeat. "Just how much money did you pay to get into this place anyway?"

"Secret." Albert gave the Nightingale a wink. "Why do you ask?"

"You know the reason why! Well…shall I be escorting you up to the lounge later?"

"HUH?" Realizing what the singer was telling him, Albert turned beet red from the tips of his toes to his head. "Oh, no, no! I just…uhm…wanted to talk to you, that's all."

"You wanted to talk and it can't wait till Sunday…" Etienne gave his friend a warm smile. "You're hopeless, Albert Herrera!"

Albert laughed at that remark. "Most of my friends call me that."

The next hour and a half, the two men did just that. They talked, chatted about nothing in particular. Except for the noisier environment, it was like they were having their usual tryst at the Order. Tintoretto, thankfully, did not suspect anything, believing their lively discussion to be merely a chat between new acquaintances.

Then, something sparked inside Albert's mind. It was an outrageous thought, but he was feeling a little daring. It must be because of the alcohol he had drunk. Even Etienne's cheeks were rosy.

"Hey, Etienne!" Albert asked the singer. "Can that band play something else other than that barbaric music?"

"Yes, all you need to do is ask. What do you have in mind anyway?"

At that reply, Albert leaped to his feet. Grabbing Etienne's hand, he all but dragged the surprised singer on to the dance floor. Frowning, Etienne saw his friend tap the guitar player's leg and whisper something in his ear. For a moment, the musician gave Albert an odd look. Still, he nodded and he exchanged hurried murmurs with the rest of his band mates.

"What are you up to, Albert?" Etienne asked suspiciously.

The answer came to him as a guitar trill. Then, Albert pulled Etienne close to him, that their bodies touched, taking the Nightingale's right hand with his left and extending it to the side. Albert's right hand held Etienne's trim waist.

"Care to tango with me, my songbird?" Albert whispered gamely in the singer's ear as he pressed his body against him.

"And you think me a heathen?" Etienne murmured huskily. "Do you have any idea just how scandalous a dance the tango is?"

With a graceful twist, Albert swung the singer around, letting Etienne slide to the floor, with his left knee bent and his right leg extended, toe pointed.

The Nightingale gazed up at the grinning young man. "You are indeed a pirate, Albert Herrera!"

"And you are my captive, Etienne Delacroix."

Everyone cleared the dance floor as the two men began to dance, with Albert leading the singer into a _salida_, four quick starting side steps, going to the middle of the dance floor. Stopping, he swept Etienne's right foot in an arc on the floor, before reaching down to take the singer's thigh and press against his hip. Etienne wickedly curled his long limb around Albert's legs. Albert spun Etienne around two, three times before capturing his hand and waist again to lead him into a _caminata_ or slow walk.

Albert proved to be an excellent leader and Etienne an observant follower as they went through the intricacies of the dance. At one point, the couple parted. Albert went down on one knee, clapping his hand, while Etienne danced the _bolero_ around him with sharp taps of his toes on the floor. Already, the youths in the crowd were cheering the dancers on.

So engrossed were they in the dance that they did not notice a dark shadow enter the club, stopping to observe them with growing anger and seething hatred. Tintoretto hurried to welcome the newcomer, but the club owner was pushed aside, as the man approached the dance floor.

At that precise moment that the two men executed parting side steps with their arms extended, Etienne's right hand was suddenly seized, wrenching him away from Albert's grasp. Before the singer knew what was happening, he was swept into the embrace of another man. A man whom, to his great shock, he never expected to see so soon.

Albert was stunned to immobility as Etienne was led into a _corrida_, the couple spinning around and around the dance floor. The music came to an abrupt halt, and the intruder swept the singer into a low dip.

The crowd roared with applause. However, as the spotlight was focused upon the three of them, there was nothing but shock on the faces of Albert and Etienne, and an evil smirk on the lips of the man who dared to intrude into their dance.

Sweeping his long blond hair away from his brow, the man greeted, "It's been a long time, Albert. Or should I say the former Viscount d'Morcerf? Oh, but you have a new title now – Monsieur Ambassador to Luna, am I right?"

There was nothing that Albert wanted to do more than to drive his fist into that hated face. _"Andrea Cavalcanti!"_ he hissed in fury.

"So nice of you to remember my name," the faux Marquis replied with a mocking bow. "I have decided to take that name for myself, sans the title. It is better than my old one, don't you think?"

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Don't you know?" Andrea asked with a raise of his eyebrows. "I happen to be co-owner of La Decadenza. I've been hearing a lot of rumors that I did not like, that is why I returned here to set things straight once and for all."

"Benedetto…I didn't know…" Etienne stammered as he tried to break free from the blond's grasp. But the rogue gave the singer's wrist a painful twist.

"My name is Andrea, and don't you forget it!" he ordered the terrified young man. "Of course I didn't inform you of my arrival. I wanted to surprise you. I never thought that I would be the one to be surprised."

"Stop it, Cavalcanti!" Albert shouted. "You're hurting him!"

"I could do anything I wish with him!" Andrea nudged the singer forward. Already, tears were streaming down Etienne's face. "Tell him what you are to me, Etienne. _Tell him!_"

The Nightingale was grief-stricken as he gazed into Albert's face. "Benedetto…I mean, Andrea…he is my _real_ lover."

At that declaration, Albert felt as if he had been shot right through the heart.

Andrea was grinning in triumph, seeing the stunned expression on his rival's face. "This is one lover that you will never take from me, Albert de Morcerf. Etienne is mine and mine alone!"

"Albert, please forgive me!" Etienne made to run towards his friend, but Andrea yanked him back with a strong jerk on his arm.

_"DON'T HURT HIM!" _

Before Albert could lash out at the blond and take the singer away, strong arms seized him. To his anger and dismay, the bouncers were slowly but surely dragging him out of the club.

_"ETIENNE! ETIENNE!"_

_"ALBERT!!"_

Albert was thrown out into the street, where rain had started to pour heavily. Picking himself up, he whirled back at the club to see Andrea standing at the doorway, keeping a possessive grip on a weeping Etienne.

"If you know what's good for you, Albert," Andrea called out, "stay away from my precious Nightingale. I would kill him myself before I could let you or any man take him away from me."

At these final words, Andrea Cavalcanti escorted the singer back inside the club, leaving a despondent Albert in the middle of the heavy downpour, screaming out Etienne's name.


	9. Captive Hearts

 

It was near dawn when Albert returned to the estate. Bertuccio and Baptistin who were worriedly waiting up for him the whole night were shocked to see their young ward soaked to the bone.

"Albert!" Baptistin ran to the boy, gripping his shoulders. "What the hell happened to you? Why didn't you call us so we could've at least picked you up?"

No reply came from the young man. But a tear dripped down his chin.

Bertuccio was filled with sudden dread. "Did something happen at the club?"

Albert's hands closed into tight fists. "Bertuccio, Baptistin…I couldn't protect him. That son of a bitch was hurting Etienne, but I could do nothing! _Nothing!_"

"Who, Albert?" Baptistin shook him. "Who hurt Etienne?"

"Benedetto! That rogue who posed as the Marquis Andrea Cavalcanti! The same bastard who had raped Eugenie seven years ago!"

Baptistin slowly released the angry young man, seized by guilt. They both knew all too well who Benedetto was. The bastard son of former Chief Justice Gerard Villefort and Victoria Danglars. The mad man whom the Count had paroled from prison in order to torment his parents and drive a wedge between him and Eugenie by manipulating the girl's greedy father.

Albert was shaking in rage. "Benedetto was the last person I expected to see at La Decadenza. What was worse, Etienne even admitted that they were lovers, but I refuse to believe it. Etienne was obviously terrified of him! Benedetto hurt Eugenie before. I cannot let him do the same to Etienne!"

"What are you planning to do?" Bertuccio grimly asked the younger man, already certain of what was running through his head. "Let me guess. You're planning to use your ambassador's powers to march into La Decadenza, arrest Benedetto and demand the release of Etienne."

"I'm the Ambassador to Luna! I can do anything I want!"

"Luna is a neutral zone, Albert. Paris laws do not apply here. Yes, Benedetto is a wanted man in all four quadrants of the galaxy, but here he is free to do whatever he wants. And one other thing. Don't forget that Etienne, by his own admission, is a whore. Have you ever given thought of what this could do to your reputation if word gets out that you've fallen in love with a prostitute?" Bertuccio observed Albert fall into sullen silence. "True, seven years had passed since that fateful summer, but the scandal and the atrocities that your father had committed remain fresh in the minds of the populace. Such a dark taint cannot be simply erased by changing one's family name."

"Then, tell me, Bertuccio," Albert demanded in frustration. "Tell me what I should do. Should I just sit here and do nothing while lord knows what Benedetto is doing to Etienne?"

"Bertuccio is simply saying that you should act with prudence and caution," Baptistin put in. "We must not rush into anything that may prove disastrous in the end, not only to you, but to Etienne as well. If you want to do something, speak with Messrs. Lucien and Beauchamp about this. They have more experience in these kinds of matters."

Despite his anger, Albert had to agree with the advice of his two friends. With a grudging nod, he said, "I really hate to say this, but you're right. Please inform Lucien and Beauchamp that I need to speak to them. Ask them when they're available. We could either meet at my office or here at the estate.

Bertuccio gave the younger man a reassuring pat. "You're doing the right thing, Albert."

"Am I?" Albert asked bitterly. "Then why do I feel like I had just abandoned Etienne?"

 

Etienne was sitting at his desk, the pocket watch that Albert had given him held tightly in his hand.

"Albert…please forgive me," he sobbed, as he pressed his lips to the watch, the cold metal getting wet with his tears.

_:Why do you weep, my gentle Angel?:_ the voice of Gankutsuou inquired inside his mind.

_:Gankutsuou…:_ Etienne was surprised by that question. _:I thought you knew what was happening to me.:_

The singer felt a tremor inside his brow, as though the entity had just shaken his head. _:Not all. It's only recently that I had awakened. I am still not strong enough to regain full awareness. That time with your filthy client, it drained a lot out of me. I was slumbering since then. I sensed your distress, that is why I forced myself to rouse.:_

_:He's come back, Gankutsuou!:_ that thought caused renewed tears to pour from Etienne's eyes_. :I had prayed that I would be able to escape from La Decadenza before he returned. But I was wrong. He is now back in Luna, and I won't be able to see Albert ever again!:_

_:Who, Etienne? Who has returned?: _Gankutsuou was about to probe for the memory that so terrified the young man.

The answer to his question came as a sly voice at the doorway that he recognized at once. "Unbelievable!"

_:Gankutsuou…hide!:_ Etienne urgently told the entity, who retreated inside his mind.

The singer quickly hid the pocket watch inside the dresser, as Andrea Cavalcanti sauntered over to him.

"I thought I had you all to myself when I brought you here to Luna. Well…perhaps not exactly 'all to myself'." A wicked smirk went up Andrea's face. "I needed to make a profit, and your beautiful voice and sweet body certainly paid handsomely. Besides, it's the least you could do for me since it was I who saved your life." That evil smile vanished and was replaced by a dark scowl. "However, who'd ever thought that my most hated rival would wind up here on this accursed moon, much more show up in _my_ club to woo my precious Nightingale."

A mewling cry was drawn from Etienne's lips as Andrea yanked him to his feet. Shaking the poor singer roughly, the rogue demanded, "How long have you been seeing Albert de Morcerf? And don't you lie to me!"

Etienne was too frightened to deny it. "A little over a month. I had a seizure while I was crossing the street from church. It was Albert who saved me before I could get run over by a carriage. He introduced himself as Albert Herrera."

"Why should he not change his name? His father was involved in a terrible scandal that rocked Paris. Even if seven years had gone by, Parisiens still talk about it. I'm surprised that poor little Albert recovered from the shame. More unbelievable still is that he is now the Ambassador to Luna."

"Albert is a kind person," Etienne defended his dear friend. "If he is, as you say, an ambassador, then he achieved that position through honesty and hard work."

"Oh, look! How nice! My sweet Nightingale is defending that disgraced viscount!"

A resounding slap to his face caused the singer to fall on top of the bed. Before he could shake away the stars, he was flipped over onto his back and his shirt torn open. The shoes and trousers came next, and the terrified young man lay totally naked, too shocked to move, much more defend himself. Trembling, Etienne tried to hide his nakedness with his hands and arms while he watched Andrea remove his own clothes. As he straddled the singer, the rogue gestured to the four parallel scars on his chest.

"Do you want to know how I got these?" Andrea asked, smiling fiendishly. "I was once betrothed to a beautiful baron's daughter.Of course, our engagement was against her will. She was originally engaged to another boy, but her dear old father became bankrupt, you see, and he needed my so-called 'fortune' to recover. On the eve of her wedding, she tried to run away, but I caught her before she could flee. Put up a struggle at first. In the end, I showed her who the real master is. I believe you know her, Etienne. She's one of your ardent admirers – the concert pianist Eugenie Danglars. As for her fiancé, he's your dearly beloved Albert."

Etienne gaped at the mad man above him in stunned disbelief. Beautiful, strong-willed Eugenie…violated by this bastard! And there's Albert. He could only just imagine Albert's pain when he discovered what Andrea had done to the woman he loved.

"I'm not taking all the credit for it," Andrea declared, without a single trace of remorse in his voice. "It was part of an elaborate scheme carefully planned by one man to destroy those who had ruined his life. I was only too happy to be of service to him. I also desired vengeance against my parents who had buried me alive the minute after I was born in a garden behind a villa in Auteuil. They are both in an asylum in Paris…Chief Justice Gerard Villefort and his mistress, the Baroness Victoria Danglars."

"Danglars?" Etienne gasped out the name in shock. "Then Eugenie…."

The rogue burst into evil laughter. "…Is my half-sister. Did you know that I also bedded my poor mother while she was in a state of depression? Hot-blooded woman, my mother. Now I know where I got my unquenchable libido from."

"You're sick, Benedetto!" the singer exclaimed in sheer disgust. "How could you do those terrible things to your own mother and sister?"

"And I told you to call me 'Andrea'!" Andrea seized Etienne's face, his fingers digging deep into the singer's cheeks. "Why should I feel any guilt? I was merely following orders." He peered into the Nightingale's mismatched eyes. "You told me to do it."

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

But Andrea persisted, "I know you're in there. Come out!"

"It hurts! Please…Andrea!"

"So you don't want to show yourself, eh?" the rogue remarked, roughly jerking the singer's legs apart. "Then, you won't mind if I do whatever I want with your new body."

Etienne desperately kicked free and started to crawl away from the mad man who was determined to have his wicked way with him. But as his right hand gripped the headboard, Andrea seized his hair and slammed his forehead on the rail. Dazed and dizzy, with a small bleeding cut on his brow, Etienne could no longer fight back against the blond.

The singer screamed as Andrea plowed into him, driving his hard erection deep within. At once, blood flowed down his legs as membranes were ruptured and blood vessels were torn.

"Andrea, please stop!" Etienne begged the man who was relentlessly ripping his insides to shreds. "It hurts too much! Please stop!"

"Ooh, does it hurt?" Andrea grunted evilly. "But I thought you like our coupling to be rough? A ramrod cock plunging in and out, in and out…" As he said this, he slammed hard into the young man beneath him, eliciting agonized cries.

The rogue felt the change in Etienne's demeanor gradually. It started with a sudden constricting of the channel he was plundering. Then the whole body stiffened. A quick twist and a sweeping blow of an arm, and Andrea found himself lying flat on his back, staring up at a leering face with glowing pink marks on his brow and four shining eyes glaring malevolently back at him.

"You seem to have a poor memory, Benedetto. I never ordered you to rape Eugenie Danglars," Gankutsuou snarled at the blond rogue. "And in case you've forgotten, I was the one doing the plunging, not you."

"Well, there's always a first time for everything. Don't tell me you didn't like it?" Andrea caressed that grotesque face. "I missed you, O Great Ruler of the Cavern."

Gankutsuou hooked the rogue's legs over his shoulders. "I wish I could say that I missed you, Benedetto. And this will be the first and the last time that you will ever take me!"

 

It was midday when Andrea rose from the bed, groaning at the pain in his battered behind. He gazed at the singer sleeping beside him. An expression of utter hatred distorted the rogue's handsome features.

Standing, Andrea went towards the wall near the dressing mirror. With a twist of the wall lamp, a panel slid open and he entered a secret chamber where a Black woman dressed in a simple blouse and skirt, with a turban on her head, sat waiting for him.

"Did you see?" Andrea asked her.

"Aye, young Benedetto," the woman nodded. "Those marks…there is no mistake. 'Tis the Master of the Underworld himself."

"Well? Tell me!" the rogue demanded in impatience. "Can you do it?"

In the dim light, the woman's face was like a hideous mask as she smiled in wicked anticipation. "Aye! Where my ancestors had once succeeded, I shall do the same."


	10. Secret Rendezvous

 

Lucien, who had been pacing back and forth as he listened to Albert's narrative, plopped down into a nearby chair with a groan.

"Benedetto!" the Chief Secretary exclaimed aloud. "Why didn't I even think that he might be involved in this?"

"You've got to hand it to him," Beauchamp commented with a trace of sarcasm in his voice. "He covered his tracks pretty well. Not only that, he had to show up in the one place where he is virtually untouchable. Unless he breaks Luna laws or we actually catch him in the act of committing a crime, we could not arrest him for any of the crimes he is wanted for in all the four quadrants of the galaxy."

Albert was crestfallen by his friends' remarks. With his elbows on his knees, he clasped his hands together and pressed his aching forehead against them.

"Then it's hopeless," he said in bitterness.

"We didn't say that," Lucien hastened to ease his young friend's sorrow. "It's going to be a bit more difficult, but we're not giving up. We swore we'd get Etienne out of that damned place and we will."

Albert breathed in deeply. "You know," he quietly admitted, "for the past five nights, I've been watching La Decadenza."

That explains the hollows under his eyes, mused Beauchamp. "That's very dangerous, Albert," the journalist chided him, although he was not at all surprised by his friend's reckless daring. "If Benedetto sees you anywhere near the club, he'd kill you without hesitation. Next to his parents, he hates you the most."

"But I can't just go through the motions that everything is normal. Sister Bertrille was asking me why Etienne did not come to Mass last Sunday. I couldn't tell her what had happened. I've been monitoring the activities at the club, hoping to catch even a glimpse of him. I thought I saw him last night at a window on the fourth floor, but I guess it was just my troubled mind playing tricks on me. I'd give anything to know that he's all right."

"All we could do is pray and hope that he is well." Despite the warning glance that Lucien shot at him, Beauchamp said, "You sound as if you're in love with him."

"Yes, I am. I never thought I would feel this way about anyone ever again."

"Are you sure it's not because he looks like the Count?"

Albert saw no reason to lie to the journalist. "To tell you the truth, I became attracted to him because he reminded me so much of the Count. I used to tell myself that this is what he may be like during his youth as Edmond Dantes – warm, loving, kind, an innocent dreamer. The longer I got to know him, however, I learned to love Etienne for who he is. It didn't matter to me that he was a prostitute. Etienne…is special. It is because I love him so much that I will do everything in my power to free him, and heaven help Benedetto if he should try to stop me."

"Albert…" Lucien could no longer stop himself from asking. "The body of the Count of Monte Cristo was never recovered from the ruins of Champs Elysees. We also know that Gankutsuou is immortal. What if Etienne…"

"…Is the Count? I asked that question myself once." Albert gave his friends a determined smile. "Then this means that the Almighty has given me another chance to save him and, this time, on my life, I swear that I will take the Count of this mess alive and well."

 

Etienne finished rehearsing in the club and was making his way back to the suite when Bruno the bouncer met him in the hallway.

The bouncer handed the singer a small brown bag tied with a pink ribbon. "My wife made chocolate chip cookies. I thought you might like some."

The Nightingale was touched by the burly man's kindness. In La Decadenza, Bruno was probably the only friend he had.

Accepting the gift, Etienne said in sincere gratitude, "I love them! Thank you, Bruno!"

Bruno scratched his head, abashed, a blush pinking his cheeks. "It's nice to see you smiling again, Etienne."

The singer was at a loss for words, more so, when Bruno ran a finger over the violet bruise on his cheekbone.

Bruno bent down and quickly whispered, "If you need a friend, I'm here for you," before walking away.

When the bouncer was gone, Etienne entered the lift and opened the bag to pull out a cookie. As he nibbled on it, the tears he was trying to hold trickled down his face.

:Now, now, Etienne. If Monsieur Bruno sees you like this, he might think that you found his wife's cookies tasted terrible.:

Etienne wiped away his tears on his sleeve. _:Gankutsuou…I'm afraid. I know you've been taking over my body when Andrea would bed me. Whatever it is you're doing with him, Andrea has become more violent. Don't anger him. Please!:_

_:Why? Do you think he might do something to us?:_

_:I'm way past worrying about myself. It's you I'm concerned with.:_

:You're worried about me? Etienne, I can take care of myself. Benedetto is someone I could handle. Trust me.:

The singer savored the sweetness of the cookie. _:You two seem to know each other.:_

Gankutsuou answered cryptically, _:You might say he and I have a history.:_

_:Then…:_ Etienne tentatively put in. _:You also know Albert. Please don't deny it. It is from you that I first heard Albert called by the name de Morcerf. How do you know him?:_

The entity fell silent, but the singer could sense a deep feeling of remorse emanating from him. Before Etienne could pry further, Gankutsuou willed his right hand to rise, pressing the 'Stop' button.

_:Gankutsuou! What are you…:_ Etienne was unable to complete his question when the door of the lift suddenly opened into a dark corridor he had never seen before. Looking at the elevator panel, he saw that the floor numbers were not lighted. By his estimation, he was between the third and fourth floors.

Curiosity getting the better of him, the singer took one…two…three tentative steps out of the lift. An angry curse from the room at the far end nearly caused him to run back inside the elevator, but the entity stopped him.

_:We've come this far,:_ Gankutsuou told him. _:We might as well see what's going on.:_

Etienne quietly tiptoed towards the door until he was standing right in front of it. Pressing his ear to the door, he listened closely, identifying the voices of Tintoretto and Andrea immediately.

"We're ready to ship the next batch tomorrow midnight," Tintoretto reported. "The ship will be waiting at Aeolus."

"Make sure that there will be no problems this time," Andrea pointedly reminded him. "I do not want a repeat of the Aurelius incident."

_Aurelius!_ Hearing that planet's name prompted the singer to listen harder.

The Italian then said, "We're putting them through the mind wipe right now. By the time we're through with them, they won't even remember their own names."

Etienne had to clamp his hands to his mouth to stifle his cry when a scream reverberated through the corridor. It was coming from behind a curtain. Although frightened, the singer went towards it, his heart pounding like a hammer at those bloodcurdling wails. Pulling the curtain part way to reveal another door, he peered through the open crack, his mismatched eyes widening at the terrible sight he beheld.

A young man lay strapped to a table, a metal skullcap placed on top of his head. Etienne was horrified to see bolts of electricity shooting in and out of the coiled wires attached to that cap, causing the poor man to twitch violently and scream in agony.

_:I've seen enough!:_ Gankutsuou's shout was like a shot fired through his brain, that blood at once trickled from his nostrils. _:Get out, Etienne! Out now!:_

Etienne was only too happy to comply. As silently as he could, he raced inside the lift and hurried up to the fourth floor. It was only when he stumbled inside the suite that he breathed a sigh of relief.

_:Gankutsuou…:_ he asked the entity worriedly as he wiped the blood from his nose with a tissue. _:Are you all right? You scared the hell out of me back there.:_

_:I'm sorry for that outburst, Etienne.:_ Gankutsuou reluctantly admitted, :That scene…it brought back some very bad memories.:

At that unguarded moment, the singer saw strange scenes flash before his eyes.

 

A young man in a white sailor's uniform sitting in a corner of a dark, dank cell, his face pressed to his raised knees…

_The same man now naked and strapped to a metal cross, steel cables like tentacles reaching out to grab him as he screamed…_

_Dark brown eyes that no longer held any sanity in them…_

 

The flow of images suddenly stopped, leaving Etienne with a nauseating headache. But the memory of that poor young man….

"I must tell Albert about this," the singer said firmly.

Gankutsuou countered at once, _:No, you mustn't! Too dangerous!"_

"They're condemning innocent young men and women to a life of filth! I can't let them do that! You saw the torture they were putting them through to transform them into mindless sex toys!" Etienne then added with measured deliberateness, "I know you experienced a similar torment, my friend. Would you let another suffer the same fate?"

_:You try my patience, Etienne.:_ However, sensing the resolve in the singer, Gankutsuou exhaled in surrender. _:Very well. We shall go see Albert. Do you know where to contact him?:_

"Sister Bertrille would probably know. Let's go to the Order."

At these words, Etienne opened the window. Climbing onto the sill, he carefully pulled the glass back down. He was about to descend using the drainpipe, but Gankutsuou said, _:I'll get us down.:_

The marks suddenly flared up on the Nightingale's brow as the entity took control of his body. Gankutsuou let go of the drainpipe, jumping nimbly to the ground below like a cat.

"Gankutsuou, how…" Etienne stared back up the fourth floor ledge where they had leaped.

:No time to explain. Let's go!:

Using his preternatural speed, Gankutsuou disappeared into an alley, not noticing the Black woman sitting beside a window on the second floor, watching his departure.

 

The doors of the church banged open as a breathless Albert strode inside, his footsteps echoing in the empty hall. Following close behind him were Lucien and Beauchamp.

"Albert, thank God you're here!" Sister Bertrille met the young man halfway, giving him a grateful embrace.

"Sister, where is he?" Albert asked the Mother Superior.

Etienne stood up from the front pew where he was sitting. "Albert…"

Albert's heart leaped for joy to see the Nightingale again. He broke into a run to quickly close the distance between them. With a happy cry, Albert swept Etienne into a tight hug and gave him a passionate kiss, which the singer returned with equal ardor.

Setting Etienne back down on his feet, Albert exclaimed, "I thought I'd never see you again!" His handsome features darkened, however, as his blue eyes focused on the bruise on the singer's cheek. "Did Andrea do this?"

"This is nothing, Albert," Etienne reassured him. "There is something more important that I must tell you." He also looked at Beauchamp and Lucien. "I'm glad you brought your friends as well." He gripped Albert's arms tightly. "The kidnapped noblemen…Andrea and Tintoretto are going to ship them out of Luna tomorrow midnight at Aeolus. I saw one of them. They had him strapped down, so that they could do a mind wipe on him." The Nightingale shuddered at the memory of that poor victim. "Oh, Albert! It was horrible! You must save them!"

"And we shall, thanks to you," Lucien told the singer firmly. "I promise you we'll rescue them."

"This is a reckless thing that you did, Etienne," put in Beauchamp worriedly. "Couldn't you have simply contacted Sister Bertrille on the phone instead?"

"I am forbidden to use the club's telephone. Besides…" A rosy blush colored Etienne's cheeks. "I…I also wanted to see Albert again."

At that shy answer, Albert embraced the Nightingale tightly. "But I don't want you getting hurt on my account."

"Albert, I'm fine. I made certain that no one saw me leave. But…I must be heading back there right now or else they'll find me gone."

This only made Albert tighten his hold around the singer. "No, I'm not letting you go!" he exclaimed with a determined shake of his head. "Andrea had hurt the people who are dear to me! I won't let him do the same to you!"

"Nothing's going to happen to me. Besides, it'll only be for a day, because you will come to La Decadenza and free me once you arrest Tintoretto and Andrea, right?"

"No, I won't let you leave me!"

Albert felt a gentle but firm hand push him away. As he gazed, begging, at the singer, he thought he saw a golden glimmer in Etienne's eyes.

"I'll be fine, Albert," the singer smiled as he straightened up, assuming a carriage that could only be described as regal. When he turned to Beauchamp and Lucien, the two men realized in an instant that the young man standing before them was no longer the Nightingale of Luna.

"Lucien, Beauchamp…" Etienne began, his voice now deeper, more mature. "If I were you, I would distribute surveillance teams around Aeolus. Small craters that would be perfect as rocket landing sites pockmark that part of Luna. Tell your…agent…about this. I'm sure he would know."

Lucien understood what the younger man was saying. "I'll do as you say." He laid his hand on Etienne's shoulder and looked deep into those odd-colored eyes. "You're doing the right thing. Thank you."

Etienne's answer was a gracious nod. Turning to Albert one last time, he gave him a kiss filled with longing.

"Come for me, Albert," the singer whispered. "I'll be waiting for you."

Before Albert could stop him, Etienne ran out of the church. He whirled angrily at his red-haired friend. "What was that all about, Lucien? You could've stopped him!"

Lucien, however, merely grinned. "Trust him, Albert. Believe me when I tell you that Etienne _can _take care of himself."

Sister Bertrille, who had been listening to their discussion, was not convinced. "How can you be so sure, Monsieur Dupre? You have no idea how worried I am for him."

"You and Albert have nothing to worry about. The day passes quickly, you'll see. Once tomorrow midnight has passed, Etienne will be a free man." Beauchamp gave his friend and the nun a cryptic wink. "Besides, he has a guardian angel watching over him."

 

Like a spider, Gankutsuou easily climbed up the drainpipe and stepped onto the ledge. Briefly, he sat down on the sill, feeling the breeze blow through his hair. A stray lock fell across his face, teasing his slightly parted lips.

_Did I really do that? _the entity asked himself, touching his lips with his fingertips. _I can't believe I just kissed young Albert de Morcerf._

_:Is something troubling you, my friend?: _Etienne interrupted his thoughts.

_:No, it's nothing,:_ Gankutsuou shielded his thoughts as he climbed into the suite, closing the window.

_:Are you sure?:_ There was a teasing tone in the singer's mind voice. _:It feels wonderful to kiss Albert, doesn't it?:_

:Hush your mouth, brat! Or I'll…:

Gankutsuou's sharp scent caught a whiff of something that was disturbingly familiar. Then, there was a bright flash as something blew up right under his feet and filled the suite with blue smoke. Before he could think of getting the window open, the entity was overwhelmed by the sleeping gas and dropped like a light to the floor.

 

When next Gankutsuou opened his eyes, he was lying on the bed in the lounge, gazing drowsily back at Andrea's leering face.

"Nice to see you finally awake, my dear Ruler of the Cavern," Andrea greeted him cheerfully. "And don't bother hiding inside Etienne's mind. It's useless."

"Benedetto…" The entity tried to move his body, but for some reason, he was too weak. It seemed as if his entire form was being weighed down by something very heavy. "What…what did you do…to me?"

"Oh, feeling weak, are you?" the rogue declared mockingly. "It's just something that a dear friend from New Orleans cooked up for me. You see, I've had enough of you taking liberties upon my person, so with her help, I've decided to show you who is the more powerful one between us."

Gankutsuou was filled with dread. "New…Orleans…"

Andrea jerked his right arm up to reveal the _gris-gris_, drawn as a grotesque circlet of thorns, around his wrist. To the entity's horror, similar marks had been painted on his left wrist, around his neck and both ankles.

The Black woman, who had been listening to their exchange, emerged from the shadows. "My ancestors had chained you once, O Dark One. I, their descendant, do the same to you now with shackles you could never break."

Even with a woman's face, Gankutsuou recognized those hated features. "LAVEAU!"

"I see you still remember the name of the man who had caused your imprisonment at Chateau d'If." Andrea waved a hand to her as he introduced, "I would like you to meet the Great Voodoo Priestess of New Orleans, Marie Laveau."

"Why have you bespelled me, Benedetto?" the entity demanded in fury. "For what purpose did you have this done to me?"

The blond rogue burst into laughter. "You were always a sharp one, Gankutsuou. The reason why I had dear Marie here place a _gris-gris_ on you is because you have something that I desire."

"And what, pray tell, is that?"

"Why, immortality, of course! To live forever and gain wealth and power, and the added pleasure of seeing all those I hate suffering and crushed by my hand!" This, Andrea said with an emphatic shake of his fist.

Gankutsuou was outraged by the young man's gall. "My immortality is not something that I would give to a man like you!"

"But you gave a bit of it to a fool like Edmond Dantes, and he did not deserve it, while I…"

"You do not deserve eternal life!"

Andrea clucked his tongue in disappointment at the entity residing within his lover's body. "Oh, my dear Gankutsuou! What must I do to convince you?" He made a 'come hither' gesture with his hand, and six big men approached the bed. From the singer's memory, Gankutsuou recognized them immediately as Etienne's most brutal clients. What they intended to do to him was clearly written on their ugly faces.

Gankutsuou cringed back as the men slowly approached the bed. He had known despair and fear during those thousand years that he had been incarcerated at Chateau d'If. This was the first time that he had felt pure terror.

Etienne must have sensed his turmoil because he could feel the singer slowly regaining awareness.

_:Gankutsuou…what…:_

_:Go back to sleep, Etienne!:_

_:But why…:_

Both the Nightingale and the entity were jolted back to the present by a hard push on the bed and hard hands gripping their wrists and ankles.

Andrea leaned down upon him. "I'm going to put you in your place. I'll show you who is the new King of the Cave."

_:GANKUTSUOU!:_ Etienne cried out in alarm.

_:SLEEP!:_ With the all the will he could muster, Gankutsuou stomped the singer's mind into deep sleep, just as his clothing were torn to shreds.

The hours that followed were a sheer nightmare for the entity. The rogue had said that he would put Gankutsuou in his place, and he did. Never in his millennia of life had he felt so battered and broken as he did now.

One by one, Andrea and his men took advantage of his weakened state to rape him in every way possible. Prone or supine, they ravaged his channel until it lay open, submissive, torn and bleeding, waiting for the next hard member to be thrust within. There was a rancid taste in his mouth from the merciless rods that were forced between his lips and the bitter ejaculate that was spurted down his throat. When they tired of this sport, they did more brutal games. He was whipped and spanked when he dared to scream. An assortment of painful clamps and other accoutrements were placed on sensitive portions of his anatomy. Objects of different shapes and sizes were rammed up his sore behind. Many times, he would be forced to take two to three men at a time.

Gankutsuou thought that he would not endure, that he would die from the shame.

But then, in the middle of that brutality, Etienne had awakened, and seeing what was being done to the poor entity, enfolded Gankutsuou's pain-filled mind with the warmth of his soul.

_:No, Etienne!:_ Gankutsuou sobbed, feeling the singer's tender mental embrace. _:Let me take this! I don't want you to suffer this agony and shame with me!:_

_:You and I are in one body, Gankutsuou,:_ was Etienne's firm but gentle reply. _:I will not let you suffer through this alone.:_

Weariness and the need for comfort made the entity lean into the heat of that kind heart. _:I'm sorry, Etienne! I am truly sorry!:_

Before he could succumb to the grief, a hand as warm as sunlight was laid over the glowing marks on his brow. Both Gankutsuou and Etienne gazed up to see, through tear-filled eyes, a handsome young man with shoulder length blond hair smiling down upon them. The light of the wall lamp was like a halo around his head.

Etienne recognized him to be the man from the church.

But it was Gankutsuou who knew his name.

:Franz d'Epinay!:

"Sleep now, you two," Franz whispered to them as he bathed them with a golden aura that washed away all pain and tears, willing them into slumber. "Tomorrow night, I shall deliver you from this Hell."


	11. Night Flight

 

When Etienne's eyelids fluttered open, night had already fallen. Rain was pouring heavily outside. Seeing the date and time on the clock, he realized he had been asleep for a day and a half.

The singer tried to move, but electricity jolted through the muscles of his arms and his body screamed in pain. Looking down at himself, he saw that he was half-naked, wearing only the tattered remains of his shirt. His body was mottled with an assortment of welts, bites and bruises, a grotesque canvas of the abuse that he and the entity had suffered. Etienne attempted to lower his hands to wipe away the blood and semen crusting his thighs, only to discover that his wrists were shackled to the rail of the headboard.

_:Gankutsuou?:_ Etienne called out to the entity in concern. It was the entity who had taken the full brunt of the abuse. _:Gankutsuou, please tell me you're well.:_

The answer that the singer received was a choked sob and then worrying silence.

_:We'll get out of here, my friend,:_ Etienne tried to reassure the mysterious being sharing his body. _:Albert and his friends will come to save us, you'll see. And that young man with the blond hair said that deliverance is at hand…Franz's spirit.:_

_:There is no salvation for me! What is happening to us now is because of the terrible sins that I had committed in the past,_: Gankutsuou cried in deep remorse. _:I had hoped to give you a happier life this time, but because of my greed and selfishness, I dragged you back into Hell again!:_

_:What are you saying, Gankutsuou? Please be calm. You're not making any sense to me.:_

The door squeaked open and a hulking shadow appeared at the doorway. The entity panicked, fearing more abuse. _:Please! No more! I can't take it any longer!:_

"Etienne?"

_:It's all right, Gankutsuou. It's a friend!:_ The singer wanted to weep in relief at that friendly voice. "Bruno, is that you?" Sure enough, the bouncer hurried towards him with a bunch of keys. As his chains were removed, Etienne exclaimed, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you!"

"No time to talk," said Bruno as he handed the singer a shirt and a pair of trousers. "A friend of yours came to my house earlier, saying that Benedetto was planning to take you to Galileo tonight."

"A friend?" asked Etienne as he quickly put on the clothes.

"Yes, a handsome young blond."

Hearing that description, Gankutsuou peered through Etienne's eyes as the singer lifted his head in surprise. He almost burst into tears at the sight of Franz standing and waving behind Bruno. Then, Franz's spirit seemed to disappear right into the substance of the bouncer.

"Let's go!" Franz spoke through Bruno's lips as he grabbed Etienne's wrist.

But as they emerged into the dark hallway, thugs with guns blocked their way to the lift. Realizing that they were trapped, the bouncer pushed Etienne back inside the lounge, just as the men opened fire. As Bruno locked the door, Etienne was horrified to see that the bouncer had taken a bullet in the leg.

"Bruno! You're hurt!" the singer rushed to the bouncer's aid.

"This is nothing," Bruno reassured the younger man, as he pulled out a pistol from inside his jacket pocket. "I'll hold them off. You climb out the window."

"I'm not leaving you behind!"

_"Etienne, for God's sake, just do as I say!"_

The door banged open and the men barged inside. Bruno only had time to shove the singer away before his body was riddled with bullets. Etienne gaped in shock as the bouncer fell right at his feet. Through Gankutsuou's eyes, however, it wasn't Bruno bleeding on the floor but Franz d'Epinay.

Rage gripped his entire being, and those pink marks on his forehead blazed with unholy fire. "YOU KILLED HIM!" Gankutsuou and Etienne roared at the same time. "I'LL DESTROY YOU ALL!"

The men did not stand a chance against the combined fury of the entity and the singer. Like a blur, Gankutsuou threw himself right in their midst, slashing their throats out and gutting their bellies with sharp claws. The entity would not stop until the murderers were nothing more than shredded meat on the floor, his whole form splattered with blood.

Coming back to his senses, Etienne saw the blood that was dripping from his hands. "Oh my God! Gankutsuou, what have we done!"

_:Nothing more than what these bastards deserved,:_ Gankutsuou spat back.

The sound of chanting caught the entity's hearing. It was the voodoo priestess Marie Laveau, and she was rattling a necklace made of bones and feathers, from which wispy purple arms extruded, reaching out at lightning speed. Gankutsuou screamed in agony as the tattoos on his wrists, neck and ankles were enveloped by that strange vapor, burning his skin. He could feel his strength slowly being drained from him.

But then, strong hands closed around his wrists, relieving his pain. As he looked to his right, he saw Franz smiling at him. With Franz's spirit blocking the spell, Gankutsuou seized the chance to leap through the window, the glass breaking in his passage, and land in the street below.

The first thing that entered Etienne's mind was to go to Sister Bertrille.

"Not there," a ghostly voice breathed in his ear. "Benedetto's men are sure to lie in wait for you there. The Embassy… Go to Albert…."

Before he could say that he did not know where the Embassy was, golden rays of light shone down upon the street, illuminating it up to the corner before turning left.

_:Let's hurry, Etienne!:_ said Gankutsuou, urging their body into a dash. _:Franz will show us the way.:_

Using the entity's preternatural sight, Etienne could see Franz running ahead of them.

_Thank you, Franz! _The singer thought in sincere gratitude as he hurried after the spirit.

After what seemed like an eternity of running, Etienne at last beheld the iron gates of the Paris Embassy. Although his body ached from his ordeal and was weary and shivering from the cold rain, the singer approached the lone guard standing beside the sentry box.

"Monsieur!" Etienne called out to the man. "I'm looking for Albert Herrera, the Paris Ambassador!"

The guard gave him a dubious glance. "The Ambassador left hours ago. If you wish to see him, make an appointment with his secretary."

Etienne shook his head. "You don't understand. I'm a good friend of Albert's! Monsieur, please! If you'll only just call him and tell him that Etienne Delacroix's looking for him…"

"And I told you, Monsieur Herrera is not here! Leave now before I call the police!"

Desperation made the singer grab the guard's raincoat. _"I'm begging you! I must see Albert!"_

Etienne was knocked down to the wet pavement by a rifle butt. To his dismay, the guard was pointing his gun at him.

_"Go away!"_ the man shouted, cocking his rifle. _"Monsieur Herrera does not associate with whores like you!"_

"But Monsieur…"

_"If you don't leave, I'll shoot you and have you arrested for trespassing!"_

Etienne picked himself up from the ground and slowly walked away, the bitter tears pouring down his face being washed away by the rain. Rather than seek shelter from the storm, he curled up against the iron fence, a block away from the gates.

Burying his face in his knees, the Nightingale wept, "Where are you, Albert? Oh please! Save me!"

"I knew I'd find you here!"

Etienne felt his heart sink, beholding Andrea Cavalcanti's angry form towering above him. All he could do was whimper helplessly as the rogue hauled him to his feet.

 

"Thank you so much for giving me a lift, Your Highness!"

Haydee bristled at that lofty address, and she gave the pianist sitting beside her in the carriage a disapproving frown. "Eugenie, you and I are good friends. Never call me 'Your Highness'."

Eugenie grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. It's not everyday that I get to hobnob with Royalty. Anyway, I'm so glad you came to Luna at last, and at the same time that my idiotic manager conceded to my request for a vacation. I can't wait to introduce you to Etienne."

"And I'm eager to meet him as well. Received any word from Albert?"

Hearing her former fiancé's name, the pianist grimaced. "Not a single word. Albert can be so unreliable sometimes."

"Bertuccio admitted to me that Albert had already met Etienne," Haydee revealed, "but he did not say anything else."

"Let me rephrase what I just said. _Men_ can be so unreliable!"

Haydee glanced at her watch. "Do you think Albert might still be at the Embassy? It is rather late."

"Well, Albert is notorious for working up to the wee hours of the morning. That's how he gets an enormous amount of work done quickly. I'm glad to see that all his efforts paid off well in the end."

"True. Albert deserves the success he is enjoying now. If the Count were here, I'm sure he would be very proud of him."

Eugenie gazed thoughtfully at the princess. "Haydee, please tell me. Did the Count truly care about Albert?"

"More than you know. Perhaps if revenge hadn't consumed his heart the way it had, I'm certain that Albert would've redeemed him. It saddened me that things ended the way it had."

"Haydee, don't you think that the Count could've been unduly influenced by Gankutsuou?"

The Princess of Janina paused at that unexpected query. "I used to think that way. But…"

"But what?" Eugenie prodded her.

"I've been playing back in my mind everything that had happened that day. When the Count was completely taken over by Gankutsuou, he could've killed Albert. At that time, Albert had been trying to reason with the Count. He even went so far as to block the Count's path. But Gankutsuou never lifted a finger to hurt him. It was Edmond Dantes who pointed the gun at Albert, never Gankutsuou."

Eugenie frowned at that revelation. Albert never told her what had happened on that fateful day. To hear this observation from the princess….

"Haydee…" the pianist began in uncertainty. "Are you saying that this…this demon…who had possessed Edmond Dantes…."

"…May not be a demon after all?" Haydee concluded her friend's query. "I don't know what he is. But if I were to judge his actions towards Albert, I do not believe that he is evil."

"I find that hard to believe. He was the Ruler of the Cavern. If he wasn't evil, why was he imprisoned in Chateau d'If for a thousand years?"

"I don't know. I am merely voicing out what I think. It was Gankutsuou who saved me once from Benedetto's cruelty. I wanted to believe that it was the Count, but those marks were on his forehead. It was undoubtedly Gankutsuou."

"Gankutsuou? An angel? Haydee, that is just too…"

_"EUGENIE!"_

The pianist nearly jumped out of her seat at that shout. That voice…she could not be mistaken. It belonged to Franz!

Haydee was surprised when Eugenie yanked the curtain back. "Is something wrong, Eugenie?"

The pianist was shocked at the sight of two men struggling near the iron fence of the Embassy. In the lamplight, she quickly recognized Andrea Cavalcanti.

"STOP THE CARRIAGE!" Eugenie shouted. As the carriage was brought to a sudden stop, the pianist grabbed the pistol she kept inside her purse and jumped down, ignoring the princess' calls. Drawing closer to the two men, she was horrified to see that the other man was Etienne Delacroix, who was trying to break free from Andrea's grasp.

Pointing her gun at the rogue, she yelled over the heavy downpour, "Unhand him, Andrea!"

Andrea whirled to face the pianist, but not relinquishing his hold on the singer. "Well, well! If it isn't my dear sister! It's been a long time, Eugenie."

"I had hoped I wouldn't see your face again!" Eugenie hissed in anger.

Etienne was just as stunned to be reunited with the pianist in this dire situation. "Eugenie!"

"Don't interfere, little sister!" Andrea warned. "I merely came here to claim what belongs to me."

There was a loud pop, and a bleeding cut appeared on the rogue's face. It was Eugenie who had fired. "I will not repeat myself again. LET HIM GO!"

Infuriated by the pianist's audacity to shoot him, Andrea charged at her before she could fire once more. Grabbing her wrist, he gave it a sharp twist, causing her to cry out in pain, and tore the pistol out of her hand.

"EUGENIE!" Etienne made to run to her side, but Andrea yanked him back into his arms.

"Where do you think you're going, my pretty songbird?" asked the blond, pointing the gun he had confiscated at the singer's temple.

Eugenie, who was favoring her aching wrist, shouted in fury, "_For God's sake, Andrea! Release him!"_

"I think not! I'm taking him far away where neither you nor Albert could find him."

"I'll go with you, Andrea," Etienne cried. "But please don't hurt Eugenie."

"Oh, I won't hurt her. I'm just going to put her out of her misery." To everyone's horror, the rogue aimed the gun right between Eugenie's eyes.

Suddenly, there was a soft whistling sound. Andrea gasped as a sharp blade was buried in his upper arm. His eyes flew wide, seeing the angry figure approaching them.

"YOU!" he hissed in growing rage.

"If you think me to be the weak little girl you knew before," Haydee told the rogue, "you're sadly mistaken."

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU ALL!" Andrea bellowed as he made to shoot the two women.

There was a sharp crack and something long and black coiled around his gun hand. All turned to see Albert walking towards them, his face grim and determined. Transferring the whip's handle to his left hand, he unsheathed the saber hanging at his hip with his right.

"You haven't changed one bit, Benedetto," Albert told the blond. "Still picking on the defenseless."

"So the snotty-nosed little boy is their protector now." The rogue wrapped his arm around Etienne's throat. "Do you want to know _who _this is you are protecting? He's a monster hiding behind the face of an angel. Did you know that he slaughtered my bouncer in cold blood?"

Etienne was stricken by that remark. Poor Bruno…dead….

"I could never hurt Bruno!" the singer cried, the tears streaming down his face. "It was your men who killed him!"

"Let him go, Benedetto!" Albert then dared the older rogue, "If you call yourself a man, face me instead!"

The opportunity to rid himself of his hated rival was something that Andrea found hard to resist. Shoving the singer aside, he pulled out his own sword.

"Don't mind if I do!" he sneered, as he lunged at Albert. Albert met his charge with a fierce battle cry.

Before their blades could even meet, however, bright lights were suddenly shone upon them. The glare was blinding that they had to shield their eyes.

Someone declared over a megaphone, "Drop your weapons! Benedetto, you're under arrest!"

"Really?" the rogue asked dryly. "On what charge, may I ask? I have done nothing wrong. I am merely here to apprehend the man who had murdered the bouncer at my club."

Lucien got down from a police car. "What about white slavery? We've arrested your men at Aeolus and saved twenty young nobles you had ordered kidnapped. Your man Tintoretto was all too eager to tell us about your operations…after a little persuasion from my agent."

A tall bearded man with a black patch over his right eye and a vertical scar crossing over his left went to the Chief Secretary's side.

"Luigi Vampa?" Albert could barely contain his surprise.

Even the policemen were at a loss on what to do about Luna's Most Wanted Criminal.

It was Beauchamp who came forward. "Have no fear, gentlemen. Monsieur Vampa has been working with the Interior Ministry right from the start and the Luna authorities are aware of this. The reason why he was listed as a criminal was so that he would be able to move around freely in the underground and find information about the white slavery syndicate."

Lucien gave Etienne a reassuring smile. "Oh, and we have another witness. Your bouncer…Bruno is his name, right? He's in the hospital right now. He told us an interesting story about how you planned to send La Decadenza's star to a brothel in Galileo."

Hearing that his friend was alive and well, Etienne's face brightened.

An uncharacteristic smile formed on Vampa's lips as he gazed at Albert. "We're even now, boy."

Albert nodded, giving his former abductor a smile as well. "Indeed, we are. I owe you my thanks, Monsieur Vampa." He turned his attention to the blond rogue. "It's over now, Benedetto! Surrender!"

Andrea was fuming at this sudden turn of events. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Marie Laveau standing in the shadows.

With an evil smile, he pointed at Etienne. "Enjoy your freedom while you can, my sweet Nightingale! I swear I'll be back for you!"

Suddenly, four round balls were thrown into their midst. The balls cracked, spewing out thick green smoke that covered the entire area, causing everyone to cough. When the smoke cleared, Andrea Cavalcanti had disappeared.

"He's escaped!" the Chief of Police shouted. "Block all the roads! Monitor all exit points! Make sure that he does not leave Luna!"

As the police set off in hot pursuit of the escapee, Lucien went towards Albert and said, "We shall take our leave for now. We have to see that all these young men and women are returned to their families safely.

"Thanks for all your help, gentlemen," Albert sincerely told his friends.

Beauchamp handed him a letter. "Here. This is from Ambassador DeQuervain in Paris. I think you'll like what he has to tell you. We'll be seeing you, Albert."

Albert waited for Lucien, Beauchamp and Vampa to drive off before turning to Eugenie and Haydee. "You two have a lot of guts, facing Benedetto the way you did. I thought you were Amazons!"

 

"My greatest regret is that I wasn't able to blast a hole through his head," Eugenie remarked with a pout.

Haydee giggled good-naturedly. "But at least, we were able to draw blood."

"True! So true!"

Etienne watched the pleasant banter of the three friends with a touch of envy. For a moment, he felt out of place, and he contemplated leaving them…until Eugenie nodded in his direction. His breath caught in his throat, seeing Albert staring at him. Before he knew what was happening, Albert was standing right in front of him, the love light shining in his bright blue eyes.

"You're free now, Etienne," Albert told him gently. "You have nothing to fear."

"Albert…" The singer pressed his face to Albert's shoulder as tears of happiness well up in his eyes. "Thank you so much!"

Albert held Etienne, letting the young man release all the stress and pain of his ordeal. However, the Nightingale began to sag in his arms. He caught Etienne before he could drop to the ground in a swoon.


	12. Do You Love Me?

 

_"DAMN IT!"_

Albert shook with rage, his fist having created a hole through the plaster of the wall. The doctor had long gone, but what the man had told him remained etched inside his mind.

"He was raped, Your Excellency, and the men who had done this to him had been most brutal," the doctor had revealed to him with much reluctance. "I am amazed that he managed to survive what was done to him. Any damage, both external and internal, is quickly healing. However, he still has to recover from the blood loss. I cannot speak for his mind though. It is rare for one to escape from such a devastating trauma unscathed. Outwardly, he seems quite calm and composed, but inside… Your Excellency, this is going to be difficult, but he would need you to get through this. He obviously cares a great deal about you. I hope you feel the same way about him, so that you could help him heal."

"But what am I going to do?" Albert cried, confused and frustrated. "What? How could I help Etienne when I couldn't…"

"You've helped me a lot more than you think, Albert."

Whirling, he beheld Eugenie standing behind him.

"After Andrea…" the pianist's voice faltered at that painful memory. "I thought I wouldn't survive. What frightened me the most was that I would be wedded to that monster. But you came. Just by your mere presence, you made me feel that I would be saved. Even with Andrea beside me, I lost all fear."

"But Eugenie…I wasn't there to stop him when he…"

"I don't blame you for that. How could you have known what Andrea was going to do to me? It was all coincidence. Besides, I know, that if you had been there at that moment, you would've protected me."

Eugenie clasped Albert's hand. "I deeply regret that things did not work out for us. Even if we had gotten married, I doubt if our union would've been a happy one. We're good friends, yes, but we were never in love with each other. You were in love with someone else."

Albert's cheeks colored at that last.

The pianist looked at her former fiancé seriously. "That young man up there is deeply in love with you. However, with the terrible things that had been done to him, he is very afraid that he might lose you. If you love him, Albert, go to him right now. You don't have to say anything. Just be there. He would know, just as I had."

Albert could only gape back at Eugenie, any words he wanted to say having deserted him.

 

Haydee sat in a chair at Etienne's bedside, with Baptistin and Bertuccio standing behind her. She offered a spoonful of soup to the singer, but Etienne slowly shook his head. His long, dark hair hid his face from their view.

"Oh, Etienne, please! You must eat something!" the princess exclaimed, truly concerned.

"The Princess is right," Baptistin agreed wholeheartedly. "You need to eat if you're to heal faster. Perhaps it is just nerves. I could get you a shot of brandy if you like."

Again, the singer shook his head. They were dismayed to see the tear that dripped down his chin.

Bertuccio took the robe hanging at the back of a chair and draped it over Etienne's shoulders. "You have nothing more to fear, Etienne. You're among friends."

"Am I…among friends, that is? Would I still be welcome among you?" The Nightingale's hands on his lap closed into shaking fists. "I'm…sorry," he mumbled hoarsely.

Haydee laid her hand over one fist. "Why should you say that? You're our friend, Etienne. And why are you apologizing to us for? You've done nothing wrong."

_"Don't say that! You don't know anything!"_

All were taken aback by that bitter cry.

"Etienne, calm down! Please!" Haydee begged the distraught singer. "Why don't you tell us what's troubling you?"

At that query, Etienne faced them at last. The princess drew her hand back in an instant as though she had been burned. Both Bertuccio and Baptistin gasped in shock. Gazing at them through the loops and curls of those pink marks on his brow were the glowing eyes of Gankutsuou.

_"Oh my God!"_ Baptistin blurted out, unsure whether to flee the bedchamber or not. He was already close to picking up Haydee and running out with her.

What stopped him was the sight of Bertuccio dropping down to one knee to pay obeisance to his master. "My Lord!"

Haydee herself burst into tears of joy. "Even if it were impossible, I always prayed that you would come back. Oh, Count!" She threw herself into Gankutsuou's embrace.

"Please! Everyone!" Gankutsuou gestured to them to calm down, while he tenderly patted Haydee's head. "Etienne slumbers inside me. If he senses my distress, he is sure to wake up. I…I only wanted to speak with you again."

"But how?" Baptistin stammered, unable to find the right words to phrase his questions correctly. "We saw you die!"

"I am immortal, in case you've forgotten, Baptistin."

"But…this form you are wearing…doesn't this belong to Edmond Dantes?"

The entity shook his head. "Yes…and no. While I possess his features, I am not he. It is a very complicated thing for me to explain."

Haydee was seized by sudden fear as she looked up into that youthful face. "Why did you come back? Don't tell us that you still seek revenge. If you are, I will do everything in my power to stop you this time. People are still hurting over what you've done. Surely you yourself feel the pain you've caused those you once loved and cared for."

"You speak to me as though I were still Edmond Dantes. Yes, perhaps he has become a permanent part of me. But I did not return to exact revenge." Breathing in deeply, Gankutsuou confessed, "The reason why I came back is because Edmond had a wish before he died, a wish that he and I shared. I returned to see that wish fulfilled, but I never thought that things would turn out this way!"

Bertuccio stood up and went around the bed, sitting on the other side. "Gankutsuou, you know that things rarely work out the way we want them to. The events of that summer seven years ago taught us that."

"But not like this! Our wish was simple – to live again, to live a peaceful, happy life, and to…" The entity stopped himself before he could reveal more. "Instead, what we got was…hardship, violence and rape. I know that I have committed so many sins, but this…punishment…is too much to bear. If God wanted to punish me, he should've just taken my soul and sent me straight me to Hell. He never should've involved an innocent like Etienne!"

It dawned on Bertuccio what Gankutsuou was struggling to say. "It was you whom Benedetto and his men had raped. Rather than let Etienne suffer through it, you drove his consciousness into deep sleep and took the full brunt of the abuse."

As the entity nodded, Haydee gave him a soothing embrace. "My beloved Count! It tears my heart to know that you had suffered my mother's fate! I feared you, true, but my heart was telling me that you're not evil. I curse the gods for causing you unending suffering!"

Gankutsuou's face was wet with his tears as he gazed at his trusted confidantes. "What am I going to do? I am nothing but damaged goods! How could Albert love us, after what was done…"

Despite the entity's anguish, Baptistin found himself smiling. _"How could Albert love us?"_ Gankutsuou had said. Not Etienne. _Us._

"I think you underestimate Albert, Gankutsuou," he commented, catching the entity's attention. "Before Albert had known of your existence inside Edmond Dantes, he had fallen in love with the _both_ of you as the Count of Monte Cristo. Your hearts beat as one for him. If you didn't, you would never have come to his aid many times. Have you forgotten that night when Monsieur Villefort had tried to kill you? You and Edmond acted as one to save Albert. You cannot deny it. Those marks appeared on your forehead."

"But that was different, Baptistin," Gankutsuou argued. "I was a…whole…man then. They've…broken me."

"Then, Albert shall help you pick up the pieces until you are complete once more." Haydee brushed away Gankutsuou's tears with her hands. "Have no doubt. Albert loves you."

The entity was about to say more when there was a tentative knock on the door. Then, Albert called from outside, "May I come in?"

"Hold on a second, Albert!" Baptistin answered back in haste, seeing the panic in Gankutsuou's eyes.

To add to the entity's trepidation, he could feel Etienne begin to stir.

With odd-colored eyes begging in earnest, Gankutsuou cried, _"Please don't tell Albert about me!"_

Bertuccio smiled at him reassuringly. "We told you before we shall follow you forever. This is not a difficult request you ask. However, Albert will notice sooner or later. You should consider what you're going to say to him when that time comes."

Gankutsuou beamed at his three most trusted friends. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much I've missed speaking to all of you like this."

"We'll have a lot of time to talk like this," Haydee promised him. "Just call if you need us."

_:Gankutsuou…:_ Etienne's sleepy mind voice asked. :Is something wrong?:

:No, Etienne. I was just talking to Princess Haydee, Bertuccio and Baptistin. Albert's outside.:

:Albert? No, Gankutsuou! We can't!:

But it was too late. Baptistin had already opened the door, letting Albert inside.

Turning back to the singer one last time, Haydee thought she could see the two presences within those mismatched eyes looking back at her with fear and hesitation. Bowing graciously, she said, "We shall leave you two alone now."

When the door finally closed, a heavy silence seemed to have fallen upon them. Feeling suddenly uncomfortable, Etienne pulled the robe close over his upper body. That movement caused Albert to notice the tattoos on the back of his hands for the first time.

Albert's heart thudded rapidly in his breast. "Etienne…those tattoos…I never noticed them before."

The singer was taken off-guard by that query. "These?" he asked, looking at his hands. "I've always had them. They run up my arms down to my back. Hideous, aren't they? That's why I always wear long-sleeved shirts and gloves."

Albert went towards the Nightingale. As he sat down, he took Etienne's hands in his grasp before they could be pulled away, and kissed the circle design in the middle. "Actually, I think they look quite exotic."

"Stop it, Albert!" Etienne cried, jerking his hands back. "You don't have to pretend!"

" 'Pretend'?" A frown creased Albert's brow at that one word.

Neither Etienne nor Gankutsuou had the courage to look into the other man's face. "Let us not kid ourselves any longer. Things have changed between us. You are a Parisian ambassador while I am a whore, and a damaged one at that. It won't do your reputation well to associate with someone like me."

"What're you saying?"

"Let's end this, Albert. What could've been between us…it was all just a dream." Etienne's eyes clouded with tears as he wistfully smiled. "It was a real nice dream. I'm sorry that it's all over."

The singer gasped as a heavy palm struck his cheek. Etienne cupped his aching face and looked at the other man. Albert was shaking all over, struggling to rein in his anger.

"Is that how little you think of me?" Albert asked in disbelief. "Do you have any idea how worried I was for you? Can't you imagine the guilt that's tearing my heart to shreds that I had not been able to stop Benedetto from violating you? It wasn't a dream, Etienne! _It was a nightmare_!"

"That's exactly what I mean! Albert, we cannot be together! I do not want to cause you any more pain!"

"I'm the one who's going to decide what's good for me or not! Not you!" Albert's hands tightened around Etienne's shoulders. "I told you this before. I am not letting you leave me!" Fearing that he might hurt the Nightingale again in this distraught state, he let him go. Smiling sadly, Albert suggested, "Get some sleep, Etienne. It's been very rough for you. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

_:Albert…:_ That name was like a growing ember inside the fragile heart that Etienne and Gankutsuou shared. As Albert was about to walk away, they both acted as one, grabbing his hand.

"Do you…do you love me, Albert?" the singer and entity dared to ask, their voice trembling.

Tears filled Albert's sky blue eyes as he granted his precious Nightingale a look of pure longing. "Isn't it obvious, Etienne?"

"Then, show me!" Etienne pulled Albert's hand inside his shirt, letting him feel his bare skin. Beneath, his heart pounded like a jackhammer. "Make me yours, Albert! Possess me utterly!"

"Etienne, I can't! You're not completely healed yet!"

Albert blushed a deep scarlet when the singer lowered his trembling fingertips to the region between his legs.

"Show me, Albert. Please!" Etienne's mismatched eyes glowed with love and desire. "Show me that it doesn't have to hurt!"

 

"You are so warm," Etienne purred as he pulled Albert back into his embrace when his lover eased away for a moment to catch his breath after the deep kiss they had shared.

It was not that he was hot, mused Albert, although admittedly he was steaming with desire for the sensual creature in his arms. The fact was that Etienne was so cold, almost like a corpse. It was just as cold as the Count's hand that very first time they had shook hands. That, and the elaborate tattoos on his body. The only thing that convinced Albert that this young man could not be the Count were the circlets of thorns that were painted around his neck, wrists and ankles. The Count never had such adornments.

"Don't worry," Albert nipped at Etienne's throat, creating a wine red kiss mark. "I'll warm you up pretty quickly."

Like a man thirsty for water, he licked, lapped and nibbled his way down the singer's body, being careful to avoid his wounds. To his delight and surprise, with every touch of his lips, that blue skin seemed to tinge for a brief moment with a rich brown color. At first, he thought it was a trick of the flickering lamplight outside their bedroom window. But with every kiss, every nip, indeed, the blue turned into normal skin tone. His bright eyes twinkling with mischief and lasciviousness as they focused upon the blue-colored disc on the Nightingale's breast, he tried a little experiment.

Etienne whimpered, his body quivering, as Albert nipped on that tiny nub with his teeth, while he tweaked the other to tautness with his fingertips. Not satisfied with this play, he drew the nipple between his lips, suckling upon it deeply and hard. Already, with his wet tongue, he could feel the nub hardening into a point. As he drew away for a moment to lay his chin on the singer's sternum, he was amazed to see that sweet teat had turned into a rosy hue.

"What are you looking at?" Etienne murmured huskily as he peered down at his lover.

"Oh, it's nothing," Albert chuckled. "Next to my mother when I was a wee babe, you're the only one I want to do this to."

Saying this, he devoured the singer's other nipple, making Etienne arch his upper body up into that ravenous mouth.

"You are truly a pervert, Monsieur Herrera," the Nightingale gasped out, his breasts tingling with pleasure at that tender torture.

"You're the only one who calls me that, Monsieur Delacroix."

Giggling, Etienne pushed Albert off him. "Move over, you lecher, or else I'll end up spurting milk."

"That wouldn't be a bad idea."

Before Albert could even continue his little game, the singer turned him over until he was now on top. "So, as Monsieur Sigmund Freud would say, you are still in your oral stage. Let me show you just how you can make that devilish mouth of yours work."

Etienne's hair was like a flying cloak as he swooped down to capture Albert's erect member between his lips. Albert drew in a deep, shuddering breath as the singer swallowed his length to the root. It took tremendous effort on his part not to thrust hard into that talented mouth, but it was difficult. Etienne was determined to elicit surrender from him, with every constriction of his throat and every languid lick of his tongue.

It was Albert's turn to say "Move over," as he twisted his body around so that he was now looking up at the singer's erection. Etienne let out a luscious groan as his lover seized his member inside his mouth. Eagerness to taste the singer's juices made Albert quicken the suction until, whimpering softly, Etienne filled his throat with sweet nectar. Albert was close to coming as well, but a firm hand squeezed his length and bloated sacs at the base, stopping the release that he so craved.

"Are you torturing me, Etienne?" Albert growled, the sweat trickling down the length of his body.

In answer, Etienne lay back on the bed, with legs spread wide. With a caress of the distended veins of that burgeoning erection, he whispered, "I want to feel you come inside me."

Remembering the Nightingale's injuries made Albert hesitate. "I don't think I should do this. I don't want to hurt you."

"Just do it, Albert. Please!" Etienne drew Albert's length to his opening. "I need you."

Steeling himself for the task at hand, because it _was_ a tremendous task to control his desire to plunder his lover's sweet, willing body, Albert pushed into that puckered office, feeling it tighten around his head. One minute thrust after another, he eased inside gradually, waiting with tortured patience for that channel to accommodate him.

_"Oh, for heaven's sake!"_ Etienne gripped Albert's behind and, with one swift motion, pulled his lover inside his body. The move proved to be too hard and painful that Etienne hissed, his eyes tearing up. Albert blanched, feeling blood wetting both their thighs.

"Etienne!" Albert was about to draw back, but the singer held him in place.

Laughing, Etienne said, "Sorry if I frightened you. I was just too impatient for you."

Albert leaned down and kissed his lover on the lips, tasting each other's essence. "No more waiting, my love."

Then, Albert began to move, thrusting in and out of that tight channel until he could feel it acquiesce to his demands. After that, it was a smooth, gliding friction, as they moved their bodies – Albert to sheathe himself as much as he could inside the singer's heat while Etienne wanted to be filled completely. All pain disappeared, and their pace quickened into a driving, desperate rhythm that demanded a devastating conclusion. It was Etienne who came first with a luscious scream, their touching bellies becoming coated with his slick fluids. That cry sent Albert into a mind-blowing climax, and he spurted again and again into Etienne's depths until he was completely drained. With a shaky breath, Albert fell into the Nightingale's embrace.

For a long moment, they just lay arm in arm, relishing the warmth that exuded from each other's bodies.

"Are you all right, Etienne? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, you didn't. It was a good hurt."

The Nightingale gazed up into his beloved's bright blue eyes. "I love you, Albert," Etienne whispered, as he pressed his growing erection against his lover's hip.

Albert felt himself harden instantly at that tempting gesture. "Etienne, you are insatiable, you know that?"

 

Morning saw the two lovers still in bed. Etienne had laid his head on the hollow below Albert's ribcage, his luxurious ebony mane the only blanket covering their naked bodies.

"Etienne?" Albert murmured his lover's name, curling his fingers into those silken tresses. "May I ask you something?"

"Hmmm?"

"Ambassador DeQuervain back in Paris has given me a three month vacation, a reward of sorts for assisting in the apprehension of the members of the white slavery ring. I would like you to come with me."

_:Paris?:_

Etienne felt the fear emanating from Gankutsuou inside him. Why would the entity be so afraid of Paris?

Probably sensing his fear, Gankutsuou said, _:Don't mind me, Etienne. If you want to go to Paris, it's all right.:_

_:I don't want to do anything that you wouldn't like, Gankutsuou,:_ Etienne replied. _:You know that.:_

_:But you want to be with Albert, right?:_

_:Yes, I do. But I won't go if you don't want to.:_

_:Actually…I do.:_ Gankutsuou admitted with great reluctance. _:Like you, I want to be with Albert as well.:_

Etienne found himself becoming jealous. He could tell that the entity was also in love with Albert. True, they shared one body, but they were still separate beings.

_:But we also share one heart, Etienne,:_ Gankutsuou noticed the singer's distress. _:Could we not love him together?:_

The Nightingale smiled at that query. _:You're right, Gankutsuou. Why could we not love him as one?:_

"Etienne?"

Both the singer and the entity gazed up to see the stricken expression on Albert's face. Their poor lover had already surmised, by their silence, that his invitation was going to be rejected.

As one heart and one soul, Etienne and Gankutsuou gave Albert a passionate embrace. "I will not be parted from you ever again. Yes, Albert. I will go with you to Paris."


	13. Return To Paris

 

"Paris! Paris! _PARIS!_"

Albert watched in undisguised amusement as an exuberant Etienne raced down the portable stairs, the small suitcase containing his meager belongings swinging wildly in his right hand. To his pleasant surprise, the singer had caught the attention of everyone in the spaceport. With smiles on their faces, it was all too obvious that they were wondering who this charming young man in their midst was.

A hard shove sent Albert stumbling the rest of the way down the stairs. Whirling, he saw Eugenie and Haydee giggling at the top.

"What's the big idea?" he shouted at them, waving an angry fist. "I could've broken my neck!"

With her arms akimbo, Eugenie berated him, "You're such a slow poke, Albert! If you don't hurry up, you're going to lose him!"

"And who are you to order me around, woman?" Albert snarled back.

Haydee straightened up, her brows rising in intimidating. "Should I make it a royal command then, Monsieur Ambassador?"

Infuriated by the fact that he was ganged upon by two females, Albert raced after the singer, yelling, "Hey, Etienne! Wait up, will you?" the laughter of Haydee and Eugenie ringing in his ears.

Albert found Etienne squatting before a toy seller, grinning in glee at the wind-up yellow ducklings swimming in a basin.

"Look, Albert!" Etienne laughed as he let one toy nibble on his finger with its beak. "Aren't they cute? So many fascinating things to see in Paris!"

"Etienne…" The young envoy rolled his eyes upwards. "This is just the rocket port."

The singer pointed to the gigantic sign hanging above their heads. "What does that say?"

"Paris Intergalactic Airport. But…"

"So this rocket port is still a part of Paris." Etienne gave his lover a disapproving scowl. "Don't dampen my good mood, Albert."

"What I meant was there are more exciting things to see in the city itself, certainly more astounding than toy ducklings."

"Hmmph!" the singer snorted haughtily, his nose lifted in the air. To Albert's chagrin, Etienne pulled out a silver coin from his pocket and bought one toy. Stowing it carefully inside his suitcase together with his book and the pocket watch, he murmured beaming, "My precious keepsake from Paris!"

That comment brought a smile to Albert's lips. His gentle Nightingale was free now. It was not surprising that he would find joy in the littlest things.

At that moment, Baptistin ran over to them, very excited. "You know, I was wondering why the rocket port seems crowded today. They're having a fashion shoot at one of the launch pads. Want to come watch, Etienne?"

"I don't know." Etienne pouted angrily in his lover's direction. "He said there's nothing interesting to see in a rocket port."

"Well, not usually, but it's not everyday you get to watch a live fashion pictorial." Baptistin grabbed the singer's hand and started pulling him along before he could argue. "Come on! Let's go!"

With a shake of his head, Albert followed close behind him. Arriving at the location, Albert was surprised to see the Pharaon docked there. The Count's former starship, it was given as a gift to the son of its original owner. Willowy thin models posed and preened before the starship while the photographers barked out orders and took their pictures.

Then, from among the ogling crew of the Pharaon, Captain Maximilien Morrel stepped forward and ran over to his young friend.

"Albert, is that you?" Maximilien shook his hand warmly. "Fancy meeting you here. Aren't you supposed to be in Luna?"

Albert gave the former military man a tight hug. "I was, but Ambassador DeQuervain gave me a vacation. What's going on?"

"The editor of a fashion magazine contacted me three days ago, asking if he could use the Pharaon as a stylish backdrop for a fashion spread they were doing. It's money. I couldn't say no. Besides, the added publicity will do well for business." Maximilien gazed lovingly at the starship. "The Count took great care of her. I'm glad."

"True," Albert agreed with him. "The Count once admitted to me that he took great pride in piloting such an enormous ship. He was really in love with her."

Maximilien saw the flash of sorrow on his friend's face. "I'm sorry, Albert. I didn't mean to bring up the past."

"No harm done. What can memories do after all?" Still, wanting to change the subject, Albert inquired, "Where's Valentine, by the way? How is she?"

A timid voice answered behind him, "I'm quite well, my dear Albert. It's so nice to see you again."

"Valentine!" Albert was pleased to see Franz's former fiancée as beautiful as ever. His face brightened even more at the sight of the two red-haired twins tagging along behind her. "Are these your children?"

Maximilien beamed like the proud father that he was. Urging the twins forward, he waved to the little girl first. "This is Clementine." Gesturing to the boy, he introduced, "And this is Jacques. Children, this is your Uncle Albert. I thought I'd bring them along to watch the photo shoot."

Jacques' lower lip jutted out in a sullen pout. "I thought this would be better than those opera shows Mama and Papa take us to."

"All we've seen are snooty women as thin as toothpicks posing before noisy photographers," Clementine gave her own assessment. "Boring as hell!"

"CHILDREN!" Valentine was truly shocked. "Oh, please forgive them, Albert! They can be such heathens sometimes. They're always playing with the members of Maximilien's crew. I'm afraid their roughneck ways are having a bad influence on them."

"I don't think it's that bad," Albert countered. "At least, they're exposed to different types of people. They should be free to explore the world."

Valentine nodded in agreement. "Back then, we were imprisoned by our nobility." She gave her family a fond smile. "But we thankfully escaped from that trap so we could pursue our own happiness. If it weren't for Franz, God bless his soul, I wouldn't be with Maximilien right now, and I wouldn't have had these two wonderful children. And I must not forget…the Count…"

"The Count? But why?"

Maximilien urged his pretty wife, "Go on, Valentine. Tell Albert everything that you told me."

"The Count went to the mansion the evening before Maximilien, Franz and Renaud came to get me. Father was not at home at that time," Valentine began. "He gave me an antidote for the poison. I was still very weak then and all I could do was look at his face. I could never forget those glowing marks on his forehead."

Albert started at the mention of those facial marks. _Gankutsuou!_

Valentine continued, "Strangely enough, I did not feel any fear. There was such kindness in those eyes, and I knew that he had saved me. When he spoke, it seemed as if there were two voices coming out of his mouth .He told me that it would take days before I could recover my strength. What I could not forget were the last words he said to me."

"What, Valentine?" Albert asked breathlessly. "What did the Count tell you?"

The young woman closed her eyes as she remembered that one moment that the enigmatic nobleman had actually spoken to her. "His cold hand was soothing on my fevered brow as he said, 'Forgive us for not coming to you sooner. We were only told about your condition this morning, hours after Albert had come to the villa. He was so concerned for your well being that the poor boy ran through heavy rain just to seek our help. If there is anyone that you should thank, it is not we but Albert.There isn't any boon that we will deny Albert."

_Us…our…we… _Words indicative of plurality. A clear hint of the two personalities existing within the Count of Monte Cristo – Edmond Dantes and the demon Gankutsuou. But what could those words he had spoken to Valentine mean?

It was Maximilien who answered his silent query. "I concur with Valentine on this. Both of us firmly believe that the Count, and that includes the being inside him, may not be evil."

Albert was about to say something when he found himself entangled by eager limbs that made movement difficult. He grimaced in disgust as his face was smothered by perfumed kisses.

"I knew my eyes were not fooling me! Oh, Albert! Seven years may have passed, but you are still sooooo handsome!"

Albert's eyes flew wide as the person holding him lowered large dark sunglasses to reveal a mischievous, pretty face he had not seen in years. "PEPPO!"

"One and the same!" Peppo exclaimed, sticking his tongue out playfully. Puckering his lips together, he asked, "How about a kiss for old times' sake?"

"No way, Peppo!" Albert cried in panic, searching through the crowd for any sign of Baptistin and his lover. As he tried in vain to extricate himself from that near choking embrace, he looked to Maximilien and Valentine for assistance, only to be given amused smiles. "Peppo, damn it! Let me go! Someone might see us and…"

Too late! Angry, narrowed mismatched eyes peered over the young envoy's shoulder and a menacing voice inquired, "Albert…who is…this person…sucking on your face?"

Albert made a long evading jump, carrying Peppo with him. He turned as white as a sheet to see Etienne scowling back at him with his arms folded over his chest.

Peppo was momentarily struck silent before he blurted out, "COUNT!" Even Maximilien and Valentine were just as stunned. The same could not be said for Jacques and Clementine. The two children were eagerly waiting for what was about to happen next.

Eugenie, Haydee and Bertuccio happened to be passing by at that moment. Approaching the small tense group, the pianist waved to her two friends, "Hi, Valentine, Maximilien!" Seeing the expression on their faces as they stared at the singer, she realized what had happened. "No, no! This isn't the Count of Monte Cristo!"

Haydee, however, exchanged knowing glances with Bertuccio and Baptistin.

Etienne smiled at the couple and said, "I'm always mistaken for this Count. I am not he." Without saying anything else, he went back to glaring at Albert and Peppo.

Bertuccio nudged Baptistin, who was helplessly scratching his head. "What's going on? And what's Peppo doing here?"

"It looks like a war is about to break out," Baptistin replied, nodding in the direction of the angry singer.

To his dismay, the twins were cheering, "CAT FIGHT! CAT FIGHT!" which caused the crew of the Pharaon to hurry over to them as well.

Feeling trapped between a rock and a hard place, Albert somehow managed to squeak out an introduction, "Etienne, I would like you to meet my friends – Captain Maximilien Morrel and his lovely wife, Valentine. And these are their children, Jacques and Clementine."

Etienne bowed to them graciously. "I am pleased to meet you." His voice low and threatening, he glared at the infuriating model dangling around Albert's neck. "I'm going to ask again, Albert. _Who…is this…person?_"

Swallowing hard, Albert stammered, "This is Peppo, also an…old friend of mine. Peppo, I'd like you to meet Etienne Delacroix."

"Charmed to meet you," Peppo said icily, as he extended his right hand, expecting that the singer would kiss it.

Instead, Etienne took his fingertips as though he were holding a wiggling cockroach and gave it a lame shake. "I wish I could say the same about you." His frown darkened into a scowl as Peppo embraced his lover again. "Do you mind getting your tentacles off my boyfriend?"

"Tentacles?" Peppo gasped out in grievous affront. "Are you calling _moi_, one of the highest paid fashion models in Paris, an octopus?"

"Actually, you look more like a squid to me. I can't believe Paris' top fashion designers are even paying you a ducat." Etienne turned to his nervous lover. "Albert, are you telling me that it is in vogue here in Paris for men to dress as…"

The word "women" was never uttered, since Baptistin clamped both hands over the singer's mouth and dragged him away. Still, Etienne managed to grab hold of Peppo's collar that he too was pulled along.

"Now, now, calm down!" Baptistin said, trying to placate the two angry figures.

To his shock, pink marks flared on Etienne's brow as Gankutsuou emerged, his odd-colored eyes ablaze.

"So it is you!" Peppo declared. "But how…"

"Shut your mouth, fool!" Gankutsuou hissed, sensing the troubled glances that were being thrown behind his back. "What is more important…" He decided to blunt. _"What the hell are you doing?"_

"Staking my claim," Peppo answered in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "Albert was my first love, remember?"

"Well, he never loved you. He loves me, so there!"

_:You know this exasperating transvestite, Gankutsuou?: _Etienne inquired. The entity could feel that, same as he, the singer wanted to throttle the living daylight out of the model.

_:Unfortunately, yes. And Peppo was the one person who was never intimidated by me.:_ Gankutsuou rounded on the model, "Stay away from Albert, if you know what's good for you!"

"Who are you to order me around?" Peppo poked his finger in Gankutsuou's eye before sauntering back to Albert's side. The entity's hands flew to his forehead, crying out more in surprise than from pain.

"I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!" Gankutsuou snarled. Thankfully, both Bertuccio and Baptistin hauled him away before he could inflict bodily harm upon the haughty model.

"Calm down, my lord!" Bertuccio hastily whispered in his ears. "You don't want them finding out about you!"

With a snort, Gankutsuou glared at his two bodyguards for a moment and retreated, but not before snatching the guitar from the hands of the surprised First Mate of the Pharaon, Penelon. He strode over to a nearby crate and sat down, plucking out a few notes on the instrument.

Nodding to each other, Jacques and Clementine approached the singer, wide grins on their young faces.

"What?" Etienne asked, frowning.

"Aren't you two going to fight?" Jacques inquired in turn.

"A gentleman doesn't fight with a woman," was the singer's simple reply.

Clementine cocked her head to the side. "But Peppo's a man. I don't know why people can't see that he isn't a girl at all."

Etienne patted the little girl's head. "We share the same sentiments, but I don't want to cause any trouble. It's my first time here in Paris." He leaned close to the twins. "Listen. Do you want me to sing to you?"

"It won't be one of those boring opera songs, right?" Jacques said hopefully.

"Anything but opera!" Clementine agreed with her brother. "There's this one song though that Papa always sings to Mama, but he always sings it out of tune. It's called 'O Sole Mio'. Think you can sing that? For us and for my Mama?"

Jacques frowned. "Isn't that an opera song?"

Etienne laughed at the little boy's query. Strumming the opening the notes of the song, he said, "Opera song or not, I'm sure you're going to enjoy this."

** _ Che bella cosa, 'na Iurnata 'e sole  
N'aria serena doppo 'na tempesta  
Pe' ll'aria fresca pare già 'na festa...  
Che bella cosa 'na iurnata 'e sole  
Ma n'atu sole cchiù bello, ohi nè  
'o sole mio, sta nfronte a te  
'o sole, o sole mio  
sta nfronte a te, sta nfronte a te ! _ **

** _Lùcene 'e llastre d'à fenesta toia,  
'na lavannara canta e se, ne vanta  
e pe' tramente terce, spanne e canta  
lùceno 'e llastre d'à fenesta toia_ **

** _Ma n'atu sole cchiù bello, ohi nè  
'o sole mio, sta nfronte a te  
'o sole, 'o sole mio  
sta nfronte a te, stanfronte a te !_ **

** _Quanno fa notte e 'o sole se ne scenne,  
mme vene quase 'na malincunia  
sotto 'a fenesta toia restarria  
quanno fa notte e 'o sole se ne scenne_ **

** _Ma n'atu sole, cchiù bello, ohi nè  
'o sole mio sta nfronte a te  
'o sole, 'o sole mio  
sta nfronte a te, sta nfronte a te !_ ** __

The singer's lovely voice instantly caught the attention of Penelon. Ambling towards them, he whispered during the instrumental break, "Mind if I accompany you, Signore?"

"Why, of course!" Etienne exclaimed. "I'd be very happy!"

Clearing his throat, the Pharaon's First Mate sang second voice, blending so beautifully with the Nightingale that everyone within hearing range stopped. The other crewmembers of the Pharaon went to the two men, listening avidly to them. Soon, even passengers who have disembarked from nearby spaceships and those still waiting for their flights began to gather around the small group.

Ever desirous of attention, this sudden shift of focus from him to his perceived rival only caused Peppo's temper to rise. Draping his arm proprietorially around Albert's waist, he sneered, "You always liked them hot and feisty, didn't you, Albert? I bet you didn't tell Monsieur Delacroix that you had lost your virginity to me seven years ago in Luna. I will always claim the distinction of being Albert's first."

Etienne's ears perked up at that comment. He was practically pounding on the guitar strings as he declared, "But certainly _never _Albert's last. I don't need to dress up like a woman to make the Ambassador to Luna fall in love with me!"

"Go get him, Etienne!" cheered the twins in bloodthirsty glee.

"This is getting worse by the minute," Eugenie mumbled to Haydee, who could only nod in agreement.

"Oh, really?" Peppo started prancing and posing around Albert, who was by then sweating profusely. "I don't think he even has fine assets like mine to keep a man." Albert grunted as Peppo thrust two perfectly formed mounds at his chest. "Aren't they wonderful, Albert?" he murmured huskily.

"HAH! He calls that fake cleavage 'assets'? I wonder what he stuffed in there anyway! Probably old socks, because they smell from waaaaay over here!" All this Etienne sang, astonishingly, to the tune of the song, causing Penelon to nearly choke with laughter.

Peppo was not about to admit defeat. Looking at Etienne derisively from head to toe, he grimaced and remarked, "For heaven's sake, Albert! Where did you find him? Pray tell, what does a lowborn like him have to offer you anyway? Let me offer you this advice, my dear. Bedmates are easily discarded once the novelty of the experience fades away."

That insult proved to be too much for the singer. "You dare ridicule me?" Etienne snarled. "Let me show you my _true_ talent then!"

Pausing at the very end of the song, Etienne took a deep breath. Then, he ripped through the high note with a vengeance. That one note was so loud and powerful that everyone clapped their hands over their ears. It was impossible for a man to reach a range that high, yet Etienne did it effortlessly, even sustaining the note for a full minute. Such was the power of his voice that the camera lenses of the photographers broke. Even Peppo's sunglasses shattered.

There was a triumphant smile on Etienne's lips as he stopped singing. "Tell me, Monsieur Peppo." He said this with clear emphasis on the word 'monsieur'. "Can your fake assets even compare with the voice of the Nightingale of Luna?"

At once, startled gasps rose among the onlookers.

"The Nightingale of Luna?" one woman exclaimed. "_He_ is the Nightingale of Luna?"

"That talented singer from La Decadenza?" another man asked his companion.

Albert slapped his hand to his forehead. "Great! Just great! So much for anonymity!" Already, the crowd was closing in on them, asking questions and begging for another song from the singer. Even the photographers had begun taking snapshots of Luna's Nightingale. Etienne, who was clearly not used to this much attention, was close to panicking.

A shrill whistle pierced the air, and little Clementine climbed up on top of the crate beside Etienne. Even Jacques took his place at the singer's opposite side.

"Mesdames, Messieurs!" Clementine cried. "Please show some manners! Monsieur Etienne has just arrived in Paris! Please give him room!"

"If you don't and continue to persist," added Jacques, "Monsieur Etienne might not be able to perform at the Opera House! Singers need space!"

Taking the children's cue, the crew of the Pharaon formed a protective cordon around the Nightingale.

Maximilien, amazed at his children's quick thinking, called out to Albert, _"Get him out of here! Now!"_

Penelon gave Etienne a wink. "You owe us another song next time, Monsieur Nightingale. Look us up at Morrel et Fil if you should ever visit Marseille."

Etienne smiled at the First Mate, as well as the two smart children. "I promise I will. I want to sing with you again, Signore."

Albert seized the singer's hand and, with the help of the Pharaon's crew and his friends, was able to break through the crowd. They dashed into the carriage that Baptistin and Bertuccio had conveniently rolled up in front of them, and rode off before anyone could think of giving chase.

Sagging into his seat, Albert breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought we'd never get out of there." Turning to the singer, he scolded, "Etienne, I'm surprised at you. Why did you let Peppo get on your nerves like that? Can't you tell that he was only teasing you? You had to expose him as a man as well. Can you just imagine the repercussions that could have on his career?"

Chastened, Etienne lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Albert. I was just so…jealous, seeing him embracing you like that. It's just not right. I…my heart just couldn't take it."

"But did you see _me_ embrace _him_?" Albert pulled his lover into a tender hug and gave him a kiss on the lips. "You know that my embraces and kisses are reserved only for you. You have absolutely nothing to fear from Peppo. To tell you the truth, it was he who helped me save Eugenie when she was about to be wedded against her will to Andrea Cavalcanti."

The singer looked at Albert in surprise. "I didn't know that. I guess I owe Peppo my apologies then."

"Yes, you do, and you have many opportunities to do so since you'll be staying with me from now on." Albert laughed lightly. "God bless that Peppo though. If it wasn't for him, I would never have known how jealous you could be."

"I'm sorry. I promise I won't let jealousy overwhelm me again."

"It's all right." Albert gave his precious Nightingale a meaningful smile. "Now I know how deeply you love me."

Etienne sighed as he leaned against his lover. "I'm surprised that you only realized that just now." He traced a teasing finger down Albert's body, but his lover stopped him before he could go any lower.

"We shall have enough time for that in our bedchamber tonight," Albert said, although he can feel his member stiffening within his trousers. "For now, look out the window. Enjoy the sights."

That, Etienne did. Like an excited child, the singer eagerly took in the wonderful sights the city of Paris had to offer. He marveled at the recently completed Eiffel Tower and the restored Arc D'Triomphe, asking Albert questions about these structures as well as the city's colorful history. Etienne was particularly humbled to behold the Paris Opera House. It had been a dream for him to sing at that great hall. Now that dream was just right in his grasp.

The carriage turned at Champs-Elysees. Seeing the newly renovated No. 30, Etienne felt a shiver go up his spine.

"Albert…" the singer pointed to the manse. "What is that place?"

"It used to be the residence of…a friend… of mine," Albert answered reluctantly, for he too was pained to see that stately mansion that once belonged to the man he had first loved.

Etienne noticed the sorrow on Albert's face and stopped himself from prying any further. However, the busy street caused the carriage to pull to a halt right in front of No. 30 Champs-Elysees. At once, images began flooding into the Nightingale's brain like a torrent.

 

_A ruined mansion that lay in an artificial sea…_

_A golden eye peering up from the water…_

_A chamber of gold containing a glowing cocoon from which he slumbered…_

_A frightful awakening…_

_And a shadowy face leering above him as he was pulled out from the ground…._

 

"Etienne! ETIENNE!"

 

The singer looked at his concerned lover beside him. It was only then that Etienne realized that he had been gripping the sides of his head. His face was wet with his tears.

"What happened to you, Etienne?" Albert asked worriedly. "Did you have another headache? For awhile there, I thought you were about to go into a seizure."

Etienne pressed his face to Albert's shirt. "Please get me away from this place, Albert. _Please!_ I don't know why, but it frightens me!"

"You heard the man, Baptistin! I think we've had enough sightseeing for today."

Baptistin, luckily, remembered a shortcut and he urged the horses into the small alley. Albert noticed that, not once, did Etienne glance back at the mansion that was No. 30 Champs-Elysees.

Strangely enough, all throughout their brief sightseeing tour of the city of Paris, Gankutsuou had remained silent.


	14. A Night At The Opera

 

"Whoa! Would you look at all those vultures out there?"

From the second floor window, Baptistin was gazing at the crowd of journalists that had camped outside the gates of Albert's modest estate through the scope of his brand new rifle.

It was an observation that Albert wholeheartedly agreed with. He remembered all too well that time at the height of the scandal. Those reporters had hounded him and his family day and night on the pretext of searching for the truth, but were actually out to destroy their lives. Now, their target was his precious Nightingale, and damned if he will let them hurt Etienne in the same way.

Baptistin must have sensed what was running through his mind because a lopsided grin curled up the corners of his mouth. "Those guys are easy pickings." He patted his trusty rifle. "How about I give this a test run? With beauty, I can pop a bunch of them like chickens."

No, don't do that! It'll be a waste of bullets," Albert advised in all seriousness. "Besides, you might shoot Beauchamp by accident."

"True," Baptistin nodded, although the disappointment was obvious on his face. "Strange, don't you think? All those reporter types look alike."

A walnut struck him at the back of the head. Turning, Baptistin saw Beauchamp scowling at him, tossing another walnut up and down in his right hand.

"I heard that, you bastard," the journalist growled menacingly. He turned his attention to Albert who has resumed his nervous pacing back and forth across the living room. "As for you, sit down! You're making me dizzy just watching you."

Albert glanced down at his watch before plopping down on the sofa. "What's taking them so long? We're just going to the opera for heaven's sake!"

Beauchamp could not help but grin mischievously. "Well, you're like an impatient groom waiting for his bride. It's going to be Etienne's first time at the opera. You can't blame him if he wants to look presentable."

"But why can't I even take a peek?" Albert whined with a pout. "I'm a man. Is my taste in clothing that questionable?"

"You even have to ask that question?" the journalist declared aghast. "If I remember correctly, there was this young man who once accepted an invitation from a distinguished country nobleman to visit his mansion at Champs-Elysees. He showed up dressed as a pirate. Even managed to get into a duel on that same day. Oh, the things that clothes can do to a man's frame of mind!"

"Hey! I won't take all the credit for that! It was Peppo's idea!"

Baptistin cringed. "You had to take the advise of a cross-dresser."

"THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT! OUT! EVERYBODY OUT!"

The three men trained their eyes to the closed door of the Nightingale's room just in time to see Eugenie, Haydee, Bertuccio, and Lucien chased outside, brushes, combs and other fashion accessories following in their wake. As if as an after thought, an arm reached out and snagged Lucien by the collar.

"Wait! I changed my mind!" Etienne growled from inside. "You're staying!"  
Before the Chief Secretary of the Interior Ministry could utter a dissent, he was yanked back inside.

"What happened to you?" Baptistin inquired.

"We were just offering our recommendations on what clothes Etienne should wear," Eugenie began. Glowering at Haydee, she then continued, "But Haydee and Bertuccio kept on insisting that he wear the Count's hand me downs."

Bertuccio raised the black coat with a flame design rising up the sleeves that the Count favored. "They look good on him. I can't understand why he doesn't like them."

Albert let out a groan. "That's because he is not the Count. Naturally, he would favor a different style of clothes."

"Well, I don't think he should've chased us out like that," Haydee complained. "So rude."

"You should have grown accustomed to that by now, Princess," Baptistin chuckled. "The Count was just like that whenever we tried to impose our tastes upon him. As he always said, 'The Count of Monte Cristo only takes orders from the Count of Monte Cristo!'"

"I personally do not advise that Lucien be his fashion adviser." Beauchamp's body shook as he shuddered. "Yuck! Etienne would look hideous in those bright orange coats that Lucien favors." Going towards the door, the journalist knocked on it gamely. "Hey, Lucien! You'd better not be putting something orange on Etienne there. We don't want our Nightingale looking like a game cock."

The door opened a crack and a wisp of hair spray was blown in Beauchamp's face. "SHUT UP, FOOL!" snarled Lucien, as the journalist let out a painful yelp.

"AAAARGGHHHHH!" Albert was close to ruffling his neatly combed hair in his frustration. "We're never going to make it to the opera!"

At that moment, the door opened and Lucien went outside.

"Well?" Eugenie asked impatiently. "What did Etienne choose to wear?"

All waited in eager anticipation for the singer to emerge from the chamber. But when he finally did, they nearly dropped to the floor. From head to toe, Etienne was dressed in a hooded velvet cloak. His face could hardly be seen from that jet-black covering.

"Good grief!" Haydee could not help exclaiming. "Lucien, why did you make him wear that cloak? He looks like a monk."

"Or a vampire searching for his prey," Bertuccio put in as well.

Lucien sighed in defeat. "Don't you go blaming me. It was his idea. He wanted to surprise Albert once we arrive at the opera house."

Albert tried to peer into that dark hood, an expression of suspicion on his handsome face. "Are you sure you've got clothes under there, Etienne?"

At that query, Albert thought he saw a pink flash within the singer's dark hood. Etienne's voice was low as he muttered, "Perhaps it's better that I do not go to the opera tonight and return to my chamber instead. Dirty young man! Is sex the only thing that you have in your mind?"

"You can't blame him, Etienne." A chuckle bubbled up from Lucien's lips. "Albert was a virgin until the ripe old age of fifteen. I don't think he has had any romantic affairs during the seven years since then."

Etienne let out an undignified snort. "If my first…encounter…had been with a cross-dressing cephalopod, I'd most certainly choose to be celibate."

Haydee tapped an index finger to her chin as though thinking. "I just remembered. I recall Peppo's name being on the guest list tonight."

At that casual remark, the Nightingale snapped his head in the princess' direction. Turning on his heels, Etienne declared, "In that case, I am NOT going. Whatever festive mood I've had earlier has now faded and…"

With an exasperated cry that jolted everyone out of their skins, Albert lunged at the jealous singer and swiftly lifted him up in his arms. Before Etienne could even raise a fuss, he made a quick dash for the front door.

"Bertuccio! Baptistin!" Albert yelled to the Count's trusted aides.

"We're way ahead of you, Albert," laughed Baptistin as he flung the front door wide open. In the driveway outside, the Count's formidable carriage was ready and waiting for them.

As Baptistin leaped onto the driver's seat, Bertuccio bowed gamely as he opened the carriage door. With a grunt, Albert unceremoniously tossed Etienne onto the plush seat inside.

Entering the carriage, the young envoy ordered, "To the opera house!"

"You heard the man," Bertuccio told his comrade as he sat down beside Baptistin. "Let's go!"

Just as the gates swung open, Baptistin flicked the reins, urging the horses into a full gallop. "Out of my way!" he roared at the reporters, who had frozen where they stood. Seeing that rumbling carriage bearing down on them, however, they got a hold of their senses and dove out of its path.

"Rats!" Baptistin exclaimed as he maneuvered the carriage into the street. "I missed!"

"Baptistin!" Etienne cried out aghast. "I can't believe you were contemplating manslaughter!"

Albert settled down beside the shocked singer, crossing his arms and legs as he nodded approvingly. "If someone did get run over, he or she deserved it."

"Feeling bloodthirsty today, are we?" the Nightingale inquired as he gave his lover a side-glance.

"Let's just say that, with the exception of Beauchamp, I have no great love for the press. I had hoped to spare you from this, but…."

Etienne linked his arm around Albert's. As he laid his head on his lover's shoulder, he patted Albert's hand reassuringly.

"It's all right," the Nightingale murmured. "I know that you'll always be by my side to protect me."

Smiling, Albert tenderly bussed the singer at the top of his head.

In twenty minutes flat, their carriage rolled to a stop before the grand Paris Opera House. Bertuccio opened the door for them. Etienne was momentarily mortified, especially when he saw the nobles lingering at the marble steps to peruse any newcomers. It was Albert who got down first, raising his hand to the Nightingale.

"Shall we?" the youthful ambassador gave his lover a dashing smile. "I'm eager to see what you've got hidden under that cloak."

Etienne nodded. Swallowing down his nervousness, the singer took Albert's hand and descended from the carriage.

_:Keep your eyes forward and your head up high,:_ Gankutsuou advised, sensing Etienne's hesitation. _:Do not be intimidated by these highborns. You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.:_

_:Gankutsuou…I don't think I can do it.:_

The entity decided to take the lead. Freeing his hand from Albert's grasp, he said, "I'm fine. Let me do this on my own."

Albert took his place at Gankutsuou's left. "Don't forget. I'm right here beside you."

With Bertuccio and Baptistin following behind them, the two men went up the stairs with long, confident strides, ignoring the curious stares that were being thrown their way. Gankutsuou thought he could maintain that cool veneer of indifference as they walked through the opera house's great doors.

"ALBERT!"

All poise disappeared and the telltale marks on the entity's brow flared up as Peppo, dressed in a slinky silver lamé gown with a long slit revealing a shapely leg, gave a startled Albert an exuberant hug.

Pointing an angry finger at the flirtatious model, Gankutsuou and Etienne yelled in outrage, _"You're doing it again!"_

Peppo gave the Nightingale a dry glare. "Oh, it's you. Hello, Etienne. Aren't you a bit over-dressed? The monk look fell out of fashion during the Spanish Inquisition."

"Who are you calling a 'monk', you perverted transvestite?"

With dramatic flair, Etienne untied his cloak and peeled it off with a graceful sweep of his arm. As the garment fluttered neatly onto Bertuccio's outstretched arm, the singer's attire was finally revealed to all.

Etienne was wearing a sleek black tuxedo. Fine silver thread was mixed into the garment's weave, giving off tiny flashes under the lamplight. Underneath, he wore a shimmering silver gray shirt, a dark violet cravat tied around his neck. Pinned to his left breast was a large gold and emerald brooch shaped in the coat of arms of the Count of Monte Cristo. But it was Etienne's gorgeous mane that was truly an eye-catcher. Eugenie and Haydee, and possibly Lucien as well, had affixed tiny crystals to those ebony locks. To Albert, the singer looked like a beautiful dark angel with twinkling stars in his hair. It was an opinion that everyone in the lobby shared as they 'ooh'-ed and 'ahh'-ed over the handsome young man.

"Oh my!" Eugenie gushed as she finally arrived together with Lucien and Beauchamp. "Etienne, you look absolutely gorgeous! Oh, how I wish Haydee had seen you!"

Bertuccio put in, "The Princess will be seeing him the minute we get home. Don't you worry." Ever since Haydee's encounter with that hated man from her past, she has had an aversion to attending the opera.

Lucien granted the journalist beside him a toothy grin. "What can you say about my fashion sense now?"

Beauchamp took a quick glance at his friend's flashy red orange attire before swiftly turning away, his hands flying to his face. "AAAAHHHH! MY EYES! THEY'RE BURNING!"

Infuriated, Lucien produced a small green canister from inside his right trousers pocket. "You think that's funny, huh? I'll burn your eyes for real with this new tear gas the Ministry had developed."

Unfortunately, his friends' cheerful banter fell on deaf ears since all of Etienne's murderous attention was focused on the model that was hanging on to Albert with the tenacity of a koala.

"Unhand Albert this instant, you cockroach!" snarled Etienne in fury.

"Try and make me!" Peppo dared back, sticking his tongue out at the singer.

"Peppo, you're choking me!" Albert coughed out. To his lover, he squeaked, "Etienne, you behave!"

To add fuel to the fire, the Morrel twins hurried up to them.

Clementine declared to her brother, "I told you we should go to the opera today because Etienne's sure to be here."

"Are you going to whoop Peppo's butt this time?" asked Jacques, his little eyes glittering at the prospect of mayhem.

Etienne gave his knuckles a menacing crack under his gloves. "I'm sure that could be arranged."

The nobles had gathered around their small group, like a pack of wolves, in anticipation of a scandal.

Salvation, thankfully, came in the form of a breathless young man with an unruly moptop and large round glasses, who said, "Peppo! So you're here! I've been looking all over for you!"

At once, Peppo released Albert who in turn found himself gripped possessively by an insanely jealous Etienne.

"Renaud, my sweet munchkin!" Peppo exclaimed, as he embraced the blushing car aficionado. His cheeks were the same color as the model's lipstick after Peppo gave him a resounding smack.

Clementine and Jacques stared at the lovers with eyes as round as dinner plates. "'Munchkin'?" Looking at each other, they shuddered and said in unison, "PHEEEWWWW!"

There were painful taps on their heads. It was their mother Valentine who was livid with anger. "Have you two been inciting trouble again?"

"Now, now, Valentine!" Maximilien tried to pacify his lovely wife. "They're just children!"

Valentine wagged her fan scoldingly at her husband. "Maximilien Morrel, this is all your fault! You've been spoiling them!"

Albert was stunned by this sudden turn of events. "Renaud? Are you telling me that you and Peppo are…."

"For about a year now," Renaud replied, a sheepish grin on his face. "It took me quite some time before I could get the nerve up." In confidence, he added, "And, yes, I do know that Peppo is…you know."

Etienne glared accusingly at the model. "If you have a beau, then why are you always pursuing Albert? You should be more faithful to _him_!"

"Come now, Etienne!" Peppo giggled. "A little harmless flirting never hurt anyone." To emphasize his point, he even blew the flustered young envoy a kiss.

Grimacing, Gankutsuou saw with his preternatural vision that the kiss was in the shape of a red heart. He grabbed it and tossed it away in disgust.

Surprisingly, it was Albert who stepped forward. "But, unfortunately, you are hurting someone who is very dear to me, and I don't want him to lose his trust in me because of what you're doing." He turned his passionate gaze towards the singer. "Let me make this clear once and for all. There is only one person in my heart, and that's my beloved Nightingale of Luna."

Saying this, Albert swept Etienne into his arms and gave him a torrid kiss on the lips, ignoring the shocked gasps of everyone in the lobby. Clementine and Jacques were absolutely delighted by this move, until Valentine covered their eyes with her hands.

"Don't look children," she warned, although she herself could barely hide her fond smile.

"I can't see anything!" Clementine whined.

Jacques was grinning from ear to ear as he peeked through the gap between his mother's fingers. "I can see just fine."

"Ho ho!" a bellowing voice declared followed by loud claps. "This is a wonderful scene worthy of the opera stage."

The two lovers immediately broke the kiss. Approaching them was a dashing man in his early thirties. He was dressed entirely in white. Underneath his tuxedo was a silver vest. His black hair was slick with thick gel. His mustache curled at the tips.

Eugenie recognized the newcomer at once. "Signore Verano!"

Murmurs rose among the audience. Guillermo Verano was Paris' latest opera sensation and the lead star of the performance that evening. While most knew about his powerful voice and intense performances on the stage, only a few were aware of the man's vanity. Behind his cheerful smile, he viewed Etienne Delacroix as a rival.

"I have heard that Luna's esteemed Nightingale will be here to watch the opera tonight," Verano told Eugenie, although his voice was loud enough to be heard by all. "I did not expect to see such a touching scene." He extended his hand to Albert. "Monsieur Ambassador, you have warmed my heart with your act of gallantry."

"It is not an act, Monsieur," Albert shook the opera star's hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Peppo walking away with Renaud. The model even gave him a wink and a thumbs-up. "One who is true inside his heart could only profess his feelings in all honesty." He gazed at his blushing lover. "I feel no shame to say that I love him."

Verano's eyebrows rose into two perfect arches. "You are truly courageous to reveal your affections for another man."

"Then let me do the same." Etienne held Albert's hand lovingly. "I love Albert Herrera, and only death can part me from him."

"Bravo! Surely all lovers should learn about fidelity from the two of you. Ah, but I have allowed myself to get distracted." Verano raised an offering hand to the singer. "Monsieur Delacroix, I ask that you grace us with a song this evening. I am sure everyone here would agree with me that Paris should at last hear the Nightingale of Luna's magnificent voice."

Etienne gave the opera star a gracious bow. "I'm afraid that I am not as courageous as my beloved. I'm not yet ready to perform in such a beautiful city as this, having just arrived in Paris. I prefer to earn the opportunity to perform on this stage through diligence and hard work. Still, I am humbled by your invitation and I thank you with my whole heart."

Verano, being a true artiste, feigned disappointment. "I had hoped that would not be your answer." A sly grin. "However, I am a very determined man. I swear I will hear you sing. For now, I do hope you enjoy the performance." He turned to Eugenie. "Madame Danglars, I hope to speak to you later regarding our little project."

"Uh…yes. Of course." Eugenie frowned as she watched the opera star walk away. Going towards the Nightingale, she advised, "Be wary of him, Etienne. Guillermo Verano is a very ambitious man. He has a reputation of destroying budding talents. His rabid fans had driven away his understudies from the stage in tears."

"I have no intention of competing with him, Eugenie," Etienne replied. "If the Good Lord deems to have me sing on this great stage, then it shall be a most wonderful gift. My voice is not a weapon I will use to ruin another. I use it to make people happy." He gave the pianist a warm smile. "And isn't that the true mission of a performer?"

Inside him, Gankutsuou praised, _:Well put, Etienne. I couldn't have said it better myself.:_

_:I was only speaking the truth,:_ the singer humbly told the entity.

At that moment, the buzzer broke through the murmurs, a signal that the opera was going to begin in fifteen minutes.

Baptistin clapped his hands. "Enough chatter! Everyone, let's get to our seats!"

The twins waved to the singer. "We'll see you later, Etienne!" they called as they went with their doting parents.

Hand in hand, Albert and Etienne made to follow Eugenie and the others, but Bertuccio stopped them.

As they gave the Black man a quizzical look, Bertuccio simply said, "We have very special seats for the two of you."

Heading off to the lift, the four men did not notice that they were being closely observed by two figures standing behind a marble column.

 

"The Prince's Box?" Albert exclaimed, his jaw dropping. "You're joking!"

"Actually…" Baptistin began, grinning. "It's more like the Prince's Suite."

Indeed, the envoy and the singer found themselves in a spacious lounge where the patron could entertain guests and well-wishers. The box itself was hidden behind a dark velvet curtain.

"Should we even be watching the opera from a very expensive box as this?" Etienne asked in nervous awe. "Can't we just sit with Eugenie and the others?"

"The Count of Monte Cristo purchased the Prince's Box for a hefty sum. Princess Haydee possesses the contract that he had signed," Bertuccio reassured them. "I am sure that he would want the both of you to use it."

In reality, it was Gankutsuou's wish that they watch the opera from the Prince's Box. He wanted to make this evening truly memorable for the singer.

Etienne mumbled thoughtfully, "I get the impression that the Count was a very rich and vain man. To use a box so high, it's like he was king of the people below."

"True. He had us all under his little fingers, but he was a good man," Albert said softly. "If only his heart had not been tainted by darkness…"

The Nightingale looked at his lover curiously. There was an expression of sorrowful introspection on Albert's face. Jealousy that was more intense than what he had felt for Peppo seized his heart. It was all too obvious to him that Albert still held feelings for this mysterious nobleman.

_:W…You can help him forget, Etienne,: _Gankutsuou tentatively suggested. _:Help heal Albert's heart.:_

_:Don't you mean that _we_ will help him?:_ the singer asked knowingly. _:That's what you were going to say.:_

_:Yes, I was going to say 'we', but I feared that you might not…approve. You frighten me when you're jealous.:_

Etienne could not help but chuckle. _:Well, you're pretty intimidating yourself. Too bad that even with your combined efforts, we couldn't do anything about that infuriating cross-dresser.:_

"What's so funny?" Albert inquired, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Oh, nothing! Nothing!"

"You're not plotting anything sinister against Peppo, are you?"

"Certainly not!" Etienne grinned wickedly. "I just thought I'd do him a big favor by turning him into a REAL woman. A pair of sharp scissors can do the trick."

"Etienne…." Albert growled threateningly.

Laughing, Etienne turned on his heels before Albert could catch him and headed straight for the box.

"Through the intercession of my great ancestors, I pray to thee, Dambala, bind him in the dark chains of the past!"

That murmured prayer stopped Etienne in his tracks as he emerged through the curtains. A pitch-black aura immediately enveloped him. Frigid cold permeated through his skin, freezing his bones, that he wrapped his arms around himself, shivering.

_:What's happening, Gankutsuou?: _Etienne called out to the entity. _:I can't see anything!:_

_:It's a geas!: _Gankutsuou replied fearfully. _:Whatever you do, don't move! I'll try to get us free!:_

Taking control of the singer's body, Gankutsuou pushed his will against the barrier that held them trapped. The dark aura, however, deflected his power back at him, hitting him directly in the forehead. The entity let out an agonized cry as he gripped his brow.

Enraged, the entity shouted into the darkness. "Who is doing this? Is that you, Laveau? I dare you to show yourself! You want immortality, Benedetto? Come and get it!"

In answer to his dare, the spotlights switched on and focused on a box directly below him, and at the figure in white standing there. Gankutsuou gasped as he recognized the man instantly.

"Fernand…Mondego?" the entity whispered, unable to take a step backward.

The man who was the disgraced nobleman General Fernand de Morcerf raised an inviting hand, a lopsided grin forming on his lips. Gankutsuou knew that that gesture was not directed at him, but to the bewildered, frightened singer.

Then, Morcerf mouthed one word. "Remember!"

:Don't listen to him, Etienne!:

But the warning came too late. That simple command caused terrifying images to flood inside the poor Nightingale's mind.

 

 

_A dark, dank corridor through which he walked, his breath labored, his chest aching..._

_Stumbling on a carpeted floor and that strange man…_Fernand?_…coming to his aid…_

_Aid that came in the form of loathsome kisses and devastating thrusts…_

_The terrible shame that came with the knowledge that he had just been violated by the man he hated…_

 

"ETIENNE, DON'T LOOK!"

 

_And then, there were those perplexing words..._

_"I don't regret what I did to you, Count," Fernand said to him. "It is enough for me to know that I was the man who claimed your innocence."_

_"Why did you let Fernand rape me?"_

_An image of a man who looked exactly like him, but older, with gray in his ebony tresses, gazing into a mirror from which the visage of Gankutsuou was reflected back at him…_

_"Don't be angry, Edmond," Gankutsuou said to him, as his gloved hand caressed his belly. "This is the only way for you to be with him."_

_A much younger Albert smiling back at him…._

_ _

"STOP IT! STOP!"

Etienne pitched himself out of that nightmare, unaware that, in his terror, he had also launched himself from the Prince's box, much to the horrified screams of the onlookers below.

"ETIENNE!"

It was Albert who had stopped his fatal plunge, grabbing him by the waist and pulling him back onto the plush divan. He frantically wiped the sweat from the singer's flushed face.

"Are you all right, Etienne?" Albert gave his lover a desperate embrace. "God, I thought I was going to lose you!"

Although at first shaken by what had happened to him, Etienne recovered his senses to turn his anger on the entity cowering inside him.

_:Gankutsuou, what is the meaning of all those images I saw?: _Etienne demanded. _:I've long suspected that you were hiding something from me, but I deferred asking any questions from you because you have saved my life many times. But now I demand answers!:_

_:I don't know…I can't!: _Gankutsuou exclaimed.

_:You can't or you won't? That man was the Count of Monte Cristo, wasn't he? Why does he look like me? Why are you two so interested in Albert? Tell me, damn it!Who is he? WHO AM I?:_

_:I'm sorry! I can't!:_ the entity cried out, frightened by the singer's righteous fury.

"Etienne! Please speak to me!"

Etienne saw Albert gazing down at him in grave worry. :You fix this mess, Gankutsuou. After all, this is what you want, isn't it? Think about what you're doing to me while he's fucking you!:

Gankutsuou was disheartened by Etienne's comment as the singer retreated, sulking, into the dark corner of his mind. Never had he heard the Nightingale speak so crudely before. 

"Etienne? What happened to you?"

The entity shook his head, more to rid himself of the voice of his nagging conscience. "I felt faint. It must be because of all this excitement. I'm so sorry, Albert."

Albert kissed his precious Nightingale, unaware that he was now holding the mysterious entity in his arms. "Damn it! It must have been one of your attacks. After this, I won't let you out of my sight, even more a second. Do you want me to take you home?"

"No, I'm fine now. Just shaken, that's all." Gankutsuou caressed the young man's face and smiled. "You have saved me yet again. What can I do to repay you?"

At that query, the envoy noticed then how high were the walls of the Prince's Box. Standing or seated, the only things that would be visible would be the upper half of their bodies, even if a person below were to use opera glasses.

Grinning fiendishly, Albert answered, "Come to think of it, I do know of something you can do for me."

 

Eugenie trained her binoculars towards the Prince's Box for the tenth time during the performance. "Do you think Etienne's all right up there?"

"He's probably resting in the lounge," Lucien told the pianist reassuringly. "I bet Etienne is listening to the performance as we speak with Albert. When he's well enough, they'll take their seats in that box."

Beauchamp poked a finger in his aching right ear. "If those two are smart, they should stay right where they are. Those damned sound people should have toned down the volume. I think Verano's voice has shattered my eardrums."

The Morrel twins, who were sitting behind them with their parents, pulled out their earplugs and showed them to the journalist.

"That's why we always wear these, Uncle Beauchamp," Clementine explained.

There was a wide toothy grin on Jacques' face. "You want to know what Uncle Albert and Etienne are _really_ doing up there? I'll bet all my allowance that they're doing something very naughty!"

Shocked, Valentine hauled the struggling little boy onto her lap. "Jacques! How did your mind get so filthy? Your Uncle Albert is a morally upright man. Why, he even had a duel with your father over a matter of honor."

"But didn't Uncle Albert lose to Papa?" Clementine inquired, staring at her father who, in turn, was caught speechless.

Beauchamp settled back into his seat and chuckled. "Albert may be morally upright, but the poor guy is also sexually repressed."

True enough, Bertuccio and Baptistin were squirming uncomfortably on opposite sides of the curtained entryway leading to the Prince's Box.

Baptistin loosened the bowtie that seemed so tight all of a sudden with his index finger.

It was ever patient Bertuccio who could no longer tolerate his discomfiture. Edging close to the curtain, he called, "Gentlemen, would you two please tone it down in there?"

At that moment, Albert was pumping in vigorous abandon inside Gankutsuou's heated flesh. The tuxedo lay discarded on the floor, his shirt unbuttoned, giving his lover full access to his breasts. Albert was conveniently positioned within the circle of the entity's trapped legs, the black trousers snagged around his ankles.

"Albert, you bastard!" Gankutsuou gasped as he bucked his hips to meet those frenzied thrusts. "When I said that I would repay you, I didn't mean we'd do it here. What if people see us?"

"No, they won't," Albert grunted, stroking the Nightingale's hard length. "Besides, where's your sense of adventure?"

Gankutsuou pressed his fingers into Albert's cheeks. "I was thinking about how this could ruin your reputation, fool!" He accentuated that word with a light slap on his lover's face.

But the entity was more worried about Etienne. Many times, he called out to the Nightingale to take his place. The singer, however, remained grimly silent, but Gankutsuou could feel the young man's seething anger.

Then a blunt head brushed against his pressure point and Gankutsuou let out a lust-filled cry. Albert lapped on a tiny nipple and murmured, "My reputation is the last thing I have on my mind right now. Sorry, Etienne, but I can't hold back any longer!"

"Monsieur Delacroix?" an inquiring voice came over the loud speaker.

With a whimper, Albert spilled his release into the entity's body, at the same time, his hand closed around his lover's stiff erection.

"Albert, damn it!" Gankutsuou hissed. "Let me come!"

"WAIT!"

"Monsieur Delacroix? Are you well up there?"

"It's Monsieur Verano," Albert told the entity beneath him. "He's calling out to you."

To Gankutsuou's horror, his lover was prodding him to sit up. As he hastily buttoned up his shirt, he asked in panic, "Don't tell me I have to answer him?" He glanced down at his hard member that Albert still held in his hand. "Certainly not in this state!"

"Don't worry! I'll take care of this," Albert said, grinning wolfishly.

When he had put himself in a semblance of order, Gankutsuou stood up. He was thankful for the high ledges. Just as Albert had noticed, no one would see that he was wearing nothing from his waist down.

"Yes, Signore Verano. I am well," Gankutsuou replied to the opera star's inquiry. "Forgive me, but I've had an attack of a terrible headache. Thankfully, it cleared away so that I was able to listen to your performance in the lounge. Perhaps, I could watch you perform another time when my illness is not troubling me."

"I will be very pleased to sing to you once more, Monsieur Delacroix," Verano beamed as he stood on the stage with the rest of the opera's cast. "However, I fear that I am about to make an unfair request of you."

"And what is that?"

"I am begging you. I'm sure everyone here will beg this of you as well. Please grace us with even one song. This great stage of the Paris Opera House awaits you. Nothing would please me more than to hear the Nightingale of Luna sing."

"Forgive me, Signore Verano, but I can't. I feel my voice would be less than perfect because of my illness. Besides that, I am but a lowly performer from a Luna nightclub. I cannot sing on that stage where the greatest legends in opera, including yourself, had performed upon. I am not worthy."

"Oh please, Monsieur Delacroix?" the opera singer asked in earnest. "You could sing only a few lines from one song. Please do not deprive us of the opportunity to listen, even briefly, to your beautiful voice."

_:Etienne…I can't sing…: _Gankutsuou pleaded to the Nightingale.

_:You'll fix this mess on your own, Gankutsuou,: _was Etienne's firm reply.

Caught between a request that he dared not decline and a painful erection between his legs, Gankutsuou gazed down at Albert. "What am I going to do?"

Albert smiled and answered, "Just do what you do best. Sing, Etienne. And like I said, I'll take care of this."

Sighing in defeat, the entity turned to the opera star once more. "Very well, Signore. I shall accede to your request. But rather than sing on the stage, let me perform for you from here."

Verano was elated by that answer. At that height, surely the Nightingale did not have the power to project his voice as well as he did. "Thank you, Monsieur Delacroix." The opera singer did not even bother to offer a microphone.

Gankutsuou took a deep breath and then he hummed the opening notes of his favorite love song from Janina. The alien words spilled from his lips with ease, his voice like sweet wine as it poured through the sad, lilting melody. For a moment, he faltered as Albert took his member inside his mouth and began to suckle. The sensations that were being drawn from him and the pain inside his heart gave power to his voice and his song that it echoed throughout the hushed hall.

The opera star was caught speechless. He had hoped that the Nightingale of Luna would prove to be a disappointment. Far from it. Etienne Delacroix's voice surpassed even his own, his song filling the entire hall with its haunting melody. Everyone was silenced by its power and the emotions that it was forcing out of them. It shocked Verano to see himself responding sensually to that voice.

Albert, on the other hand, had lost himself in his lover's beautiful voice as well as in the silken steel that he had deep in his throat. He knew that Etienne came when the singer shuddered and poured out his sweet fluid inside his mouth. But that sweetness was replaced by the sting of salt upon his tongue. As he released the Nightingale's member, he was shocked to see the tears pouring from Etienne's eyes.

When the song came to a trembling end, applause erupted from the audience below as they gave the Nightingale a standing ovation. Gankutsuou, however, was unmindful of the adulation that was being given to him. With only a small bow and a softly uttered "Thank you", he fled from the Prince's Box, ran past a startled Bertuccio and Baptistin, and locked himself inside the bathroom. His body shook as he sobbed, clamping his hand over his mouth to stop the flow of tears.

_:Etienne…:_

_:You feel hurt, Gankutsuou?:_ Etienne asked bitterly. _:Surely it could not compare to the pain inside my heart, knowing that you may have possibly deceived me.:_


	15. Eugenie's Surprise

 

When his three soft knocks on the door remained unanswered, Albert ventured to enter his lover's chamber. The young envoy spotted Etienne at once. The singer was sitting sideways on a sun seat, his long legs stretched out. His chin was laid on the balcony ledge, cradled by his folded arms. Etienne was gazing sadly into the distant city, his long hair flying in the cold breeze.

"Oh, Etienne!" Albert was worried sick about his lover. Ever since that night at the opera, all the good spirits seemed to have deserted the singer. Rather than entertain guests, he would stay up in his room, lost in deep thought.

Albert was virtually unaware that the depressed young man he was gazing at with deep concern was not the Nightingale, but the entity known as Gankutsuou.

In truth, Gankutsuou had been struggling for the past four days to coax Etienne out of his self-imposed isolation, but the singer would not respond to his pleas. Worse, the Nightingale was becoming more daring, poking in places inside his mind. The entity had to seal those memories away, which only infuriated the singer.

"What are you hiding from me, Gankutsuou?" Etienne would often rail at the entity he shared his body with. "What is it that you're so afraid that I would find out?"

Gankutsuou buried his face deep into his arms that only his sad eyes and the tip of his nose were visible. _What am I going to do? If I tell you the truth, we might lose our second chance at happiness._

What was making this situation unbearable for the entity was Albert. Although, he will not deny, that he was very happy to spend more time with the mortal, Gankutsuou knew that what Albert was pining for was his precious Nightingale. He was in love with Etienne, not with _him_. The entity dreaded what would happen if Albert found out that the 'Ruler of the Cavern' still lived.

However, it pained Gankutsuou even more to see Albert fumbling in the dark for the reason for his lover's depression. He knew the young ambassador was standing in the middle of the room behind him, wrestling with the desire to speak with him or to just leave him alone.

Something white and cold fell on the tip of his nose. Gankutsuou lifted his head to see tiny snowflakes falling from the sky.

_:Snow…: _The entity gazed in quiet awe at the white puffs floating down upon the city.

_:…?Snow?…:_

At that quiet inquiry, Gankutsuou's eyelids fluttered close and he reached out to the sulking Nightingale before he could return to his sanctuary.

Etienne never expected actual physical contact inside his mind. Great was his surprise when a cold hand gripped his wrist, preventing him from retreating. He whirled at the entity, ready to give him a sharp tongue-lashing, but he stopped as he beheld Gankutsuou's face for the first time.

The entity looked exactly like him, except that he was older and that his hair was tinged with gray. On his forehead glowed those familiar intricate pink marks. Even Gankutsuou was just as surprised that he had actually caught the singer.

_:That's enough, Etienne,: _Gankutsuou begged the Nightingale in earnest. _:Can't you see how much this is hurting Albert?:_

_:And whose fault do you think it is?: _Etienne asked in turn, his words heavy with anger. _:Who's the one who's been keeping secrets from me in the first place?:_

_:I'm doing it to protect you.:_

_:Are you protecting me or yourself?: _Etienne shook his head in frustration. _:I'm afraid, Gankutsuou. Whatever it is that you've been hiding from me, I'm terrified that it might become the cause of my being parted from Albert. I've been seeing…visions, just glimpses. Of Albert, of strange men… Something is telling me that I'm supposed to know them, that they did something terrible in the past. That _I _did something just as bad.:_

_:You're getting your memories mixed up with mine.:_

_:Then you _did _know Albert in the past.:_

_:Yes, and the less you know about it the better.: _The singer was about to argue with him, but the entity raised his hand. _:Please, Etienne. I truly understand how you feel, but it's something I don't want to discuss. Now…is not a good time….:_

_:But what if your past catches up with you? Benedetto, and that voodoo priestess Marie Laveau… What then? Are you telling me that I should just sit back and do nothing?:_

_:I'll do everything in my power to protect you. That's a promise, and that includes keeping…things…from you that could harm both you and Albert.: _Gankutsuou quietly admitted, _:I've been thinking these past days…that maybe I should move on. I've been causing you a lot of pain. It hurts just as badly to see Albert so sad as he is right now. I'm…going to figure out a way so that I could separate my essence from your body.:_

Etienne was taken aback by the entity's plan. _:Gankutsuou, I didn't mean that I wanted to get rid of you. I only wish that you'd be more honest with me.:_

_:Something that I could not do. Let's face it, Etienne. I'm also endangering your life, and…:_

Gankutsuou's eyes flew wide as the Nightingale gave him a tight hug.

_:Don't you ever think of leaving me,: _the singer cried. _:I know that I had hurt your feelings as well. I could feel your pain, but I kept on ignoring it. If you can't tell me the truth now, I'll wait until you're ready. But don't you ever say that you'll leave me. Next to Albert, you're the first friend I've ever had. I don't want to lose you.:_

The entity's eyes filled with tears. _:As long as you can endure my presence and my secrecy, I swear I won't leave you.: _Gankutsuou pulled away, a relieved smile on his handsome face. _:Now go. Albert's worried about you.:_

_:Don't you mean 'us'?:_

_:It's you he loves, Etienne. He doesn't love me.:_

Before Etienne could argue that fact, the entity retreated into his mind, just as a thick coat was draped over his shoulders. He tilted his head backwards to see Albert's bright blue eyes gazing down at him.

"You're going to catch a cold if you stay out here," Albert murmured, a gentle smile curling up his lips.

Seeing the worry lines on Albert's brow, it was only then that the singer realized the trouble he had put his lover through.

With a choked cry, Etienne flung his arms around Albert's neck. "God, I missed you! Please forgive me, Albert! I promise I'll never leave you alone again!"

The envoy laughed at that surprising outburst. "What are you talking about? Etienne, you never left the house in two days. You must have been dreaming."

"Yes, I guess must have," said Etienne, a charming blush coloring his cheeks. "I felt like I've been gone for ages."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have rushed you into attending the opera like that. Signore Verano even had to pressure you into singing that night. I should've had the sense not to do that to you also, knowing that you were not ready."

"Don't worry. I'll pace myself from now on." The Nightingale stretched his arms out and yawned. "I'll be staying right here in this room for a whole week and just read 'Le Fantome de l'Opera'."

"Read?" More lines appeared on Albert's forehead. "Is that all you're going to do?"

Etienne chuckled as he clutched the lapel of his lover's shirt and slowly pulled him down. Murmuring huskily, he said, "Oh, Monsieur Herrera! I only read during the day. My nights are reserved especially for you."

Those enticing lips tantalized Albert. "Good! I don't want Monsieur Erik stealing away my quality time, especially since I've been a very patient celibate for the past four days."

"Hmm… I think Monsieur Erik could wait a day longer."

Before the two lovers could kiss, however, there was a loud bang downstairs followed by an outraged shriek.

The door opened and Bertuccio peeked inside. "Excuse me, Albert, but there's a rampaging pianist here to see you."

Just as Bertuccio said this, the door was flung wide open to reveal a very angry Eugenie bearing a briefcase in her right hand and a crumpled letter in her left.

Throwing the letter at a startled Albert, she ranted, "That pompous ass! After all those rehearsals, he has all the nerve to say that he's quitting my production, saying that it's too scandalous for an artiste of his stature!"

Albert tried to smoothen the wrinkled letter so he could read it, as a bewildered Etienne inquired, "And the 'pompous ass' in question is?"

"Guillermo Verano, who else?" Before the shocked eyes of the two men, Eugenie started pacing back and forth, ranting like a lunatic. "Who does he think he is anyway? He is certainly no Ludivigo Cassals!" She let out an evil laugh. "Besides, who says my production will flounder without him, especially when I have someone who's a hell of a lot better than he."

Haydee, who had been napping in the next room, appeared. A curious Baptistin had also come up behind her. Patting the mischievous rogue, she suggested, "Please contact the Paris Asylum, will you, Baptistin, and inquire if they are missing any patients?"

With dramatic flair, Eugenie spun on her toe, took a step forward, and pointed her suitcase at a stunned Nightingale. "YOU!"

"Huh?" Etienne was blinking in utter confusion. "What about me?"

"You, Etienne Delacroix, are going to be the star of my production!"

As Eugenie cackled like an evil witch at that announcement, everyone in the room spoke in unison, "WHAT?"

 

"Eugenie? What…is…this?"

Eugenie snatched the music score that Albert was scorching with his eyes. "Give that back! What does a peon like you know about music anyway?"

"Well, the melodies and rhythms of some of these songs seem rather…rambunctious," Haydee cautiously offered her dubious critique. "But I think Albert was talking about the lyrics."

Etienne, who was humming and tapping his foot to one score in the far corner, suggested to the pretty pianist, "I think you should change one line here. I think it would sound better if you change it to…" He then proceeded to sing the lyrics of the love song, " 'Douse the flames of passion that consume me…' "

Albert swiftly clapped his hands over his ears. "_Enough! _Etienne Delacroix, you stop singing that…that…Hell, I don't know what it is!"

Baptistin's broad grin filled the lower half of his face as he laid the tray of tea down. "Sounds like a pretty horny song if you ask me."

Nodding vigorously in complete agreement, Albert declared, "You took the words right out of my mouth, Baptistin."

The Count's former right hand man made a quick escape as Eugenie threw him a sharp glare. Steam was practically coming out of the pianist's ears. "What's wrong with my songs? It's perfect for the plot of my opera!"

"That's exactly what I find questionable – your opera's plot! I mean, a story about a…a masked Count who uses a male prostitute as his tool for revenge against the men who have betrayed him?"

"So what's the problem with it? It's a perfectly engrossing tale, especially since you have the prostitute in question falling in love with him and trying to redeem him."

"You haven't been listening to what you just said. Let me enumerate the problems for you. One, the two leads are both men…"

"If this city does not tolerate homosexuality, then Le Queen wouldn't be packed every night."

"Two, the music is not standard opera."

"I deliberately composed the score to be as upbeat and decadent as Luna's popular songs. This opera is more for the youth of today than the genteel society."

"Third, the two leads not only kiss, but they also have sex…_on stage_!"

"It has all been tastefully choreographed into a sensual dance by our choreographer. And so what if they kiss? Didn't you kiss Etienne in public just four days ago? It was even plastered all over the scandal sheets!"

Albert grabbed Eugenie's arm and jerked her close. He hissed in her ear, "I'll give you the most important reason of all. You're hitting too close to home. This Count character resembles…him…too much. And what about Aimé? You damned well that Etienne was…"

The singer overheard what his lover was struggling to say. "Albert, it's all right," Etienne said reassuringly. "I feel absolutely no shame about my past. That's who I was. Why should I deny it?"

Lucien and Beauchamp entered at that moment. Both men were lugging in their arms what were obviously all of the Paris newspapers that have been released that morning.

"I'm glad you said that, Etienne," Lucien began, as they spread out all the papers on the table, "because the press is having a field day about your past profession."

Sure enough, the front page of one tabloid had typed in big bold letters the headline: _" 'Paris' New Sensation: A Happy Hooker?' _"

Etienne snorted in disgust. "I may have been a hooker, but I was never happy."

Albert gave Beauchamp a suspicious glare. "Is this your doing?"

The journalist was deeply offended by that question. "Of course not! For your information, the minute I got wind that this trash was going to come out today, I wrote a four-page exclusive about Etienne's hardships at La Decadenza and the major role that he played in the capture of the white slavery ring." He added proudly, "Our publication sold out the minute it hit the stands, not like these rags."

Lucien patted the Nightingale and gave him a wink. "When you're free, I'm taking you out shopping. I just received a letter that you will be one of the recipients of the Legion Of Honor Medal this year."

Although surprised, Etienne was both delighted and humbled by the news. "Me? A hero? But I don't think I'm deserving…"

"You saved lives, Etienne, and at great risk to your own," Beauchamp confirmed, grinning. "No one deserves it better than you."

"But…" Albert waved to all the newspapers. "Who could've done this?"

"It's that Signore Verano, isn't it?" asked Haydee, turning to Eugenie.

"Yes, it is Verano." Eugenie plopped down huffily in the armchair beside Albert's. "He and those rabid dogs he calls his supporters intend to destroy Etienne before he could even launch his singing career."

"Oh yeah!" Lucien suddenly remembered. "There's a blind item about you and your little opera in the 'Theater Voice'. Something about talented pianist and composer Eugenie Danglars coming up with, and I quote, 'an obscene drivel disguised as a classic opera.' "

Mention of that quote caused Eugenie to blow her stack completely. "That's it! I'm suing that son of a bitch! His contract forbids him from speaking about my opera!"

Beauchamp shook his head. "I'm afraid you can't do that. As Lucien had said, it's a blind item, not a direct quote from Verano. You can't sue if you don't know the source of this information."

"What are we going to do?" Haydee inquired, now truly concerned. "Even I find the antics of this Verano truly despicable!"

Etienne, who had been mainly a passive observer in their discussion, commented in a low voice, "I don't see what's the problem. All we need to do is put up the production and do our best."

All turned to gape at the singer.

"I don't think this is a wise idea," Haydee put in. "With this smear campaign going on, shouldn't it be best to let the furor die down first?"

"Believe me, competing against Signore Verano is the last thing I have on my mind. However, I do not approve of his methods of destroying the dreams of budding talents." The Nightingale gave Eugenie a determined smile. "I cannot promise that the production will be a success, but I will give it my very best."

"Oh, thank you!" Eugenie exclaimed in relief, with a clap of her hands.

"When is the premiere of your opera going to be anyway?" Beauchamp inquired. "Scoop the details to me so I can give it advance publicity."

That question caused a sheepish grin to go up the _pianist's_ lips, which only served to rouse Albert's suspicions.

"What's with that look on your face, Eugenie?" he inquired, his brow wrinkling up.

"He he he. Actually, the premiere is going to be on the first of January."

_"What?"_ Haydee was flabbergasted at that reply. _"That's only a month away."_

"Learning the songs won't be a problem," Etienne said confidently. "I'm sure I could manage the acting and the dance scenes."

Albert's voice was low and ominous, as he interjected, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

The Nightingale thought for a moment. "No, I don't think so." He suddenly remembered Gankutsuou. Sure enough, he sensed the entity listening with intense interest to their conversation. _:Is this all right with you, Gankutsuou?:_

_:Sure! Why not?: _the entity gave his agreement, very excited. _:It sounds fun! Shall I be performing too?:_

Etienne laughed inwardly at that query. _:That's our advantage! Two minds are better than one!:_

The loud bang of Albert's hands on top of the table nearly accomplished shocking Gankutsuou out of Etienne's body.

"I never gave you MY permission to star in this bawdy show. Besides…" Albert declared vehemently, "I will not let any man kiss or make love to Etienne on the opera stage!"

"Aren't you being unreasonable, Albert?" Eugenie could barely hide her disgust at her former fiancé's jealousy fit. "It's just playacting!"

"No way!" Albert shook his head stubbornly, folding his arms over his chest. "I am not sharing Etienne's lips with others!"

"Oh, really!" Etienne said dryly. "So what are you going to do – act on the stage with me?"

The sooner those words left his lips, the singer instantly regretted what he said as a fiendish grin formed on Albert's face.

_"That's an excellent idea!"_

Bertuccio, Baptistin, and Ali, who were busy preparing treats for their guests, nearly dropped the china as the pianist's horrendous shriek echoed throughout the house.

"MY PRODUCTION IS RUINED!"

 

"Albert, you're grinding again."

"Me? Grinding? I'm not doing anything. How do you know that I'm grinding you?"

Etienne freed his right hand from Albert's grasp to point to their pressed groins. "And what's that? Doesn't that look like grinding to you?"

Albert said defensively, "I am merely following instructions."

"Monsieur Patou!" the singer called out to the flamboyant choreographer with the wild purple hair. "He's doing it again!"

"Oh, Monsieur Albert!" Patou flounced over to their side. "I truly admire your grace and your verve in your performance…"

"I think he should change it to perv," an exasperated Eugenie muttered to Haydee, who nodded in assent.

"However…" the choreographer continued, "…It is sufficient that we merely preserve the illusion of intimacy. The Lambada is a sensual enough dance that we could do with less physical contact."

"But Monsieur Patou, I am totally innocent of what Etienne is accusing me of," Albert exclaimed. "Surely if I have indeed been overzealous, perhaps I could be forgiven. I am certain a novice such as myself will be more restrained on stage."

"Ah! But it is on the stage that you should unleash your passions." The choreographer clapped his hands. "Now, let's repeat the dance."

_:Would you mind if I…: _Gankutsuou interrupted.

_:Be my guest,: _said Etienne willingly, knowing that the entity had something mischievous up his sleeve.

As the two men held hands to perform that torrid South American dance once more, Gankutsuou murmured with voice dripping with desire and mastery, "Well, Albert, shall I be overzealous as well?" Reaching down, he cupped a handful of Albert's bottom and deliberately ground his pelvis onto his lover's groin.

That sudden move, though, had the opposite effect. Albert's blood was chilled by the dominant tone in the singer's voice, bringing to his mind the image of the man he had loved.

Gankutsuou realized his mistake in an instant, and he pulled away. "I'm sorry, Albert. I shouldn't have done that."

Seeing how pale the other man had become, Albert scratched his head in embarrassment. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Etienne. After that, I really learned my lesson. Shall we try again?"

Shyly, Gankutsuou went into his lover's arms. But as the music began to play, it was Albert who thrust his groin forward.

Frowning, Gankutsuou said, "I thought you learned your lesson."

"I lied," was Albert's simple answer.

The entity breathed out a sigh. _:Take over for me, will you, Etienne? He really is a pervert.:_

The Nightingale giggled as he and Albert launched into the Lambada. _:But a lovable one.:_

They were halfway into the dance when they heard the pitter-patter of approaching tiny footsteps. Both Albert and Etienne looked down to behold Jacques and Clementine grinning up at them.

"CHILDREN!" Etienne exclaimed in shock, pushing Albert away.

Giggling, Clementine told her little brother, "Uncle Albert's being a pervert again."

"Yeah," Jacques agreed wholeheartedly.

A very embarrassed Maximilien ran over to retrieve his wayward children. "I am so sorry that my children interrupted your rehearsals. They wanted to see Etienne and…" Unable to contain himself, the former soldier yanked Albert aside. "What was _that _dance? That's not something you show children!"

"How'd we know you were coming?" Albert cried as the irate father began throttling him.

With arms akimbo, Etienne smiled down at the twins. "And what are you two doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Marseilles?"

"We're staying in Mama's mansion here in Paris," Clementine replied. "We plan to make a little money this Christmas by going caroling…"

"Oh, that's very nice!"

Jacques pointed a finger at the Nightingale. "…And you're coming with us!"

Etienne was taken aback by that exuberant command.

"Now, now, kids," Eugenie approached them, flapping her right hand. "Etienne's very busy rehearsing for a show this New Year."

The little boy's lips jutted out in a pout. "It didn't look that way to me. It looks like he and Uncle Albert are getting horny again."

_"Jacques Morrel!"_ Maximilien exclaimed, a now insensate Albert in his hands. "What did your mother tell you about your language?"

But the children wrapped their arms stubbornly around Etienne's long legs.

"Don't be greedy, Aunt Eugenie. It's just for one night," Clementine argued hotly. "We certainly can't ask Papa to sing with us. He sounds like a moose in heat. No one will give us money."

"Now, you two," Etienne chided them. "That's not a nice thing to say about your father."

True enough, Maximilien had burst into tears at his daughter's remark, while Albert, who was massaging his aching neck, was glaring at him.

"Oh please, Etienne!" the children whined and wheedled, using all the persuasive powers that they possess. "Please say you'll come!"

The Nightingale's eyebrows lifted as he looked questioningly at the choreographer and Eugenie.

Monsieur Patou snickered as he glanced at the pianist. "Well, you have been wearing Monsieur Etienne down. One night won't make any difference. I've never seen a fast learner as he."

Eugenie let out a defeated groan. "Oh, all right! And I had hoped that you would make your singing debut on the stage, certainly not singing Christmas carols in the streets of Paris."

"Thanks, Eugenie!" Etienne said in gratitude, as the twins let out happy whoops and gave him ecstatic hugs.

 

 

_"We Three Kings of Orient Are_

_Bearing gifts we traverse afar_

_Field and fountain, moor and mountain_

_Following yonder Star…"_

 

With a shake of his head, Etienne pressed the heel of his hand to his aching brow. "Why did they have to tag along?" he bewailed.

Caroling at the gates of one mansion with the exuberance of braying mules were Albert, Maximilien and Baptistin. They were swaying, arm in arm, as they sang. Bertuccio, who was standing beside a lamppost on the opposite side of the street, was too shame-faced to join them.

Etienne's group of little carolers, consisting of noble children bearing drums, flutes and ocarinas, were throwing sharp darts at the three off-key men with their beady eyes.

_:Good grief!: _Gankutsuou could not stop himself from commenting. _:No wonder Eugenie was against Albert singing on stage! He is a much better dancer than he is a singer.:_

_:They certainly have nerves of steel, I can tell you that,: _the singer snickered as Maximilien croaked on a high note.

"What are we going to do, Etienne?" Jacques asked forlorn. "At this rate, we won't be making any money!"

Salvation, however, came in the form of a high-heeled shoe that hit the noisy soldier right smack on the face. As he hit the pavement, a steamed Valentine emerged from the house.

"Maximilien Morrel, I knew that shrieking banshee could only be you, and you even brought a pair of jackasses with you," Valentine declared angrily. "Leave the caroling to the children and the professionals."

"But Valentine…" Maximilien whined, as Albert and Baptistin helped him to his feet.

"No, buts! For a man of your age and rank, I can't believe you would do something this scandalous!" Her sharp eyes focused on Albert. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Albert! With that singing voice, the Empire might think that it's a declaration of war, and you happen to be an ambassador as well."

"But, Valentine," Albert argued in his defense. "I was only chaperoning, Etienne."

"Chaperones simply accompany. They don't cause a racket!"

Seeing that Valentine was distracting their escorts, Etienne saw their opportunity to escape. He announced gleefully, "Let's try another street!" and he marched away with the children following him like ducklings.

The next street had a group of five poor children caroling, their instruments consisting only of wooden clappers and tambourines made from wire and bottle caps.

"Why don't you invite them over to join us, Claude?" Etienne whispered to the youngest son of the Viscount de Cheval.

Claude's nose rose snootily in the air. "My father told me to never associate with the riffraff."

"Those 'riffraff' are children just like you. It's not their fault that they were born poor." Etienne got down on one knee before the reluctant boys and girls. "I know that you are doing this so that you could buy new toys. Those children will be using the money they earn to help put Christmas dinner on the table."

"Etienne?" Clementine asked hesitantly. "Is it true that you were once poor yourself? That you had to…"

"I was a bit luckier than those children in that I was never wanting for food and material things. But in exchange, I nearly lost my dignity as a human being. Sister Bertrille, your Uncle Albert and Aunt Eugenie, and all their friends… They changed my life. They saved me." The singer glanced at the ragtag group. "Who's to say that the kindness and generosity you show to them tonight won't have a great impact on their future?"

The children looked at each other for a moment. Nodding in mutual agreement, they hurried to the other carolers.

Smiling, Etienne stood up, only to freeze in place. He was standing before the stately mansion on Champs-Elysees. Again, No. 30 was evoking feelings of overwhelming terror inside him, much of the sensations coming from the entity residing inside his mind.

Although the singer chose not to pry, it was Gankutsuou who volunteered a nervous answer, _:I…I used to live here.:_

That was a surprising revelation. _:Gankutsuou, you don't have to tell me anything if it's making you uncomfortable.:_

_:I…I swore that I would tell you the truth, even if it's a bit at a time. But…it's so hard. So frightened…:_

_"There is nothing to fear here."_

Through the singer's odd-colored eyes, Etienne and Gankutsuou saw the smiling figure of Franz d'Epinay standing at the front door, with his hands behind his back.

_:Franz…: _Gankutsuou whispered the name in surprise.

Then, Franz raised his arms to them in welcome. The singer and the entity just found themselves flying through the air, their ethereal substance passing through the oak doors. Sensing Etienne's fear, Gankutsuou took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Down, down into the bowels of No. 30 Champs-Elysees they flew, passing an extraordinary landscape of blue sky and multi-colored stars, an anomaly because they were underground. When they reached the bottom, Etienne gasped, for he was standing in a palace of gold and jewels, surrounded by a clear blue sea.

"Gankutsuou…what is this magical place?"the Nightingale murmured in wonder.

The entity, on the other hand, was in tears to see his former home restored to its original grandeur. A past memory came to him, and he hurried towards the painting of a handsome young man reading a book to his aging father in a small room. He tapped on the frame and the painting slid to the left, revealing a vault.

"What are you doing?" Etienne watched as Gankutsuou reached inside the vault. When he withdrew his hands, he was now holding five small pouches and several pieces of gold coins.

"For you," said Gankutsuou, beaming. "To give to the children."

"But Gankutsuou…I can't…"

The entity, however, placed those riches inside the pocket of his coat. "This treasure is as much yours as it is mine's."

"I don't understand…."

Franz suddenly appeared between them, saying something to the singer that he did not catch. Laying gentle hands on their shoulders, he brought them back to the mortal body they shared.

A tug on his cloak, and Etienne blinked down to find the children looking worriedly up at him.

"Oh, did I black out again?" Etienne asked, drawing relieved sighs from everyone. "I'm so sorry I scared you all."

Clementine snorted. "You were probably just thinking about Uncle Albert again."

"No, I wasn't!" There was a jingling in his pocket. "I almost forgot. Before we begin our caroling, I have gifts for you." Etienne gave five gold pieces to each of the noble children. To the poor little ones, he gave the small pouches filled with gold and gemstones.

"You didn't rob a bank, did you, Etienne?" Jacques inquired dubiously, as he bit into one coin.

The Nightingale smiled, sensing Gankutsuou peering tenderly at the children through his eyes. "It's a gift from a friend."

"ETIENNE!"

Albert came huffing and puffing towards them, with Bertuccio and Baptistin following behind him. "I was looking all over for you."

"What happened to Maximilien?" Etienne asked about the poor soldier.

"Alas, Captain Morrel has been incarcerated by his good wife," was Bertuccio's reply.

"We barely escaped with our lives!" Baptistin quickly interjected.

"I hope you learned your lesson, gentlemen. As Madame Morrel had said, leave the caroling to the children and the professionals." Grinning at the children, the singer invited, "Shall we?"

As the children trotted off with Bertuccio and Baptistin, Albert went to his lover's side. "I was shocked when I saw you standing before this place. I know you seemed so afraid of it."

"I couldn't understand why I was so distressed whenever I see it, but I realize now that I have nothing to be afraid of." Etienne added mysteriously, "It's a beautiful place, a truly magical one."

"Why do you say that? You sound like you've been inside."

The Nightingale then stated, "This mansion… It belonged to that man – the Count of Monte Cristo."

Although taken aback, Albert would not deny it. "Yes, this was the residence of the Count."

"Some day, Albert, would you please tell me something about him? Both the good and the bad. I want to know about the man you fell in love with."

That request surprised the young envoy. Still, he gave his lover a nod and a kind smile. "Yes, I promise I will."

At that moment, snowflakes began to fall upon them. Looking at his beloved, Albert could not help but feel awe. Dressed totally in white with a long fur-lined hooded cloak, Etienne looked like a Snow Prince. Embracing the Nightingale, he gave him a sweet kiss.

"Joyeux Noel, Etienne."

"Merry Christmas, Albert."

"HURRY UP, YOU TWO!" the children called out to them excitedly.

"COMING!" Albert and Etienne answered in unison as they ran after the little carolers.

Etienne could not help but glance back at the mansion, where the spirit of Franz still stood before the gates. Again, Franz said something to him. Unlike earlier, he heard the young man's voice as clear as a bell.

_"Welcome home…Edmond Dantes."_


	16. A Star Is Born

 

A woman sat on the porch of her modest home overlooking the sea. The winter ocean breeze was rather chilly, but anger was stoking her blood to the boiling point. All she had to do was glance at the newspaper on the coffee table before her, which showed two young men in a torrid kiss, and her temper would rise.

_"Madame?" It was her majordomo._

_"Did you do what I tell you?" was her simple query._

_"Yes, Madame," he replied. "I thought it would be impossible at this very late date, but I was able to secure a ticket for you for the opera this evening."_

_She stood up at once, donning a fox fur cloak over her elegant shimmering blue taffeta gown. "Then, we have no time to waste. Tell the driver to get the car. We leave for Paris right this minute."_

The door to the dressing room opened and a disheveled Baptistin hurried inside. Before the door could be closed. Albert heard the angry cries coming from outside the opera house.

"It's getting really ugly out there, Albert," Baptistin said, breathing heavily. "I had to beat up some guys who were trying to break in here through the Artist's Entrance. Bertuccio is also having difficulty securing the other entrances. The guards of this place are not equipped to handle a riot. Luigi Vampa and his crew would have handled this more efficiently if they were here."

"The last thing we expected was a full scale riot," Albert replied, very worried. He was already dressed in his costume of the Count. "If we had known this was going to happen, we would've called up Vampa and had him and his men come here."

Bertuccio also came in at that moment, looking a bit relieved. "Monsieur Dupre has arrived with the police. He is speaking with Mademoiselle Eugenie right now. He is asking her that we cancel the performance tonight. We need better security preparations."

"And what did Eugenie say?" Albert asked, praying that his former fiancée would have the sense to listen to Lucien's advice.

"I think she's going to agree with him. We can't risk anyone getting hurt after all."

"Bertuccio…" Etienne began quietly. "Go to Eugenie and Lucien. Tell them that the performance will not be cancelled."

The three men stared at the singer in shocked silence.

"Are you insane, Etienne?" Albert exclaimed. "That's a mob out there!"

The Nightingale, however, smiled reassuringly as he waved Bertuccio and Baptistin off. "Go on. Tell them."

The two men knew it was their former master who was commanding them, and they hastened to obey without question.

As Baptistin and Bertuccio left the dressing room, Albert stood up and approached his lover, who was lightly dusting his face with powder. "Etienne, you must reconsider. Those people out there have come specifically for the purpose of destroying you. Verano has manipulated his admirers too well. The rest of the cast is terrified to go out on stage. Monsieur Jentes, who will be playing the Count in the singing scenes, was once Verano's understudy and he knows what the singer's supporters are capable of."

There was nothing but grave seriousness on Etienne's face as he turned to look at his lover. "If we cancel the performance, that is exactly what Verano wants. Do you want to see that whole month's work of hard work go for naught?"

Albert remembered all those pleasure-filled days rehearsing those erotic dance scenes with the Nightingale. "Of course not!" he declared in heated vehemence. Remembering their situation, however, Albert added hastily, "But I don't want to see you get killed on stage either."

Etienne laid a caressing hand on Albert's cheek. "Oh, my dear Albert! I promise nothing's going to happen to me. Besides, except for those days when I was ill, the Nightingale of Luna had never canceled a performance, and I'm certainly not about to start now."

"I do admire your courage, but you must promise me. Before things get out of hand, promise that you'll get off that stage and just allow us to reschedule the show on a later date."

"I promise." The Nightingale, however, added, "But…if there is even one friendly face in that audience who wants to hear me sing, neither you nor the French army can drag me away while I'm performing. Is that clear?"

Although there was a pleasant smile on Etienne's lips, Albert knew that his lover meant every word he said. Letting out a defeated sigh, the young envoy put in, "If you feel that strongly about it, then I'll share the stage with you. I won't leave you alone at the mercy of those animals. If need be, I'll go out there in place of Monsieur Jentes and sing my heart out."

Etienne quickly waved both hands. "Oh, please, please! You don't have to do that. We want to make this show a hit, not a flop."

The Nightingale drew back with a guilty grimace as his lover shot him a smoldering glare. "Do you have a problem with my voice, Delacroix?"

"Oh, none at all! None at all!" Etienne leaped to his feet, grabbing Albert's dress cloak, and all but ran for the door. "Let's go, Monsieur Herrera! Our audience awaits us!"

"Hey! You come back here! Don't think I'm letting you get off the hook that easily!"

But as Albert hurried after the singer, he was disheartened by the angry shouts that grew louder and louder as they neared the backstage area. Lucien and Beauchamp were waiting for them. Eugenie was talking to the frightened actors, trying in vain to calm them down, which was impossible to do with the furious shouts of the crowd in the galleries and the stomping of feet.

_"Vive Verano!"_ the mob roared. _"Go back to Luna, you whore!"_

Lucien shook his head in dismay. "I'm sorry. They just barged through the doors en masse, and the police couldn't stop them."

"Don't tell me that all of those people out there are Verano's supporters?" Albert was truly crestfallen. He couldn't muster up the courage to peek into the hall.

"I saw Maximilien, Valentine and the twins earlier, but I fear they must have gotten caught in the rush," Beauchamp answered. "Peppo and Renaud were here as well. I know that a few of our friends have come to watch, but with that mob, I can't blame them if they all decided to go home. It's just too dangerous out there."

"Mademoiselle Eugenie, please, you can't make us perform!" an absolutely terrified Rouald Jentes begged the pianist. His tears were pouring under the phosphorescent pink lace mask he wore.

"Don't worry. The police are here and they will restore order. It'll soon be safe for us to perform, I assure you." But to her own ears, Eugenie was appalled by how insincere she sounded.

While they were busy talking, unknown to all, Etienne had walked up on stage and was peeking at the mob through the curtains. His eyes narrowed in undisguised anger at the sight of the furious men and women shaking their fists in the air and shouting invectives. Sitting in the fifth row, pretending to look annoyed at the hecklers but was obviously enjoying the disturbance, was Guillermo Verano.

It was a very ugly scene, and the singer was close to agreeing to the show's cancellation.

:Etienne…Look!:

The Nightingale did not need Gankutsuou's preternatural vision to see the small, but formidable little group marching down the aisle, led by a dignified old gentleman with a cane. Maximilien and Valentine had brought along the crew of the Pharaon. If the hecklers were not silenced by the crewmembers' glares, a fist and a hard knock on the head courtesy of Penelon's trusty guitar did the trick.

What truly elated Etienne was the sight of Sister Bertrille and the nuns of the Order. With them are the children of the orphanage, Jacques and Clementine Morrel among them. The hecklers certainly did not stand a chance against the orphans' heels of steel and the angry nuns' iron toes that cracked the nuts of any man who dared to block their way. They all took their seats in the front row, primly ignoring the rabble-rousers behind them.

Those friendly faces were all the encouragement that Etienne and Gankutsuou needed.

_:For them?: _the entity inquired as he extended his power to the singer.

_:Yes, Gankutsuou. We do it for them,: _Etienne replied, donning Albert's dark cloak, as the pink marks flared up on his forehead.

In the cacophony of the rioters, Albert and the others at first did not hear the singer's low humming. But as Etienne began to sing what was supposed to be the piano intro of the Count's song "We Were Lovers", Albert whirled instantly.

"Etienne, no!" the young ambassador called out in horror.

The singer, however, ignored his lover's warning and, sweeping the curtain aside, strode out onto the stage.

Etienne was instantly greeted by jeers and insults. One even dared to throw a rotten tomato at him, which smeared his cloak. But those catcalls were drowned out by the combined might of the voices of the Nightingale and Gankutsuou, as they poured their hearts and passions into the song that Eugenie had composed for Albert.

 

_Harsh words were said  
and lies were told instead.  
I didn't ever mean to make you cry.  
But love can make us weak and make us strong,  
and before too very long.  
I was totally in love with you.  
I bathed in you.  
Lost in you, captivated by you.  
Amazed by you, dazed by you.  
Nothing can go wrong.  
Nothing can go wrong.  
Nothing can go wrong. _

_So tonight I'll sing  
a song to all my friends.  
Also to those we won't be seeing again.  
To those I knew and those I still adore  
and I want to see once more.  
I just pray that you will love me  
and trust me.  
Laugh with me and cry with me  
spend those silent times with me.  
Love me evermore.  
Love me evermore.  
Love me evermore. _

_You and I were lovers.  
Our dreams were not soured by life.  
And then my friends' betrayal  
meant you never would be my wife. _

 

_Harsh words were said  
and lies were told instead.  
I didn't ever mean to make you cry.  
But love can make us weak and make us strong,  
and before too very long.  
I was totally in love with you.  
I bathed in you.  
Lost in you, captivated by you.  
Amazed by you, dazed by you.  
Nothing can go wrong.  
Nothing can go wrong.  
Nothing can go wrong._

 

The jeering died down towards the middle of Etienne's song. No one dared to raise a fuss after that. All listened, mesmerized, to the Nightingale's voice and the touching melody and lyrics of his song. Eugenie, Lucien and Beauchamp, who had listened to Etienne sing in the past, were awe-struck. Never had they heard the singer sing like this.

"Those words…" Beauchamp could not stop himself from whispering. "It's as if the Count himself were singing it."

And he was certainly not talking about the enigmatic Count in Eugenie's opera.

Albert had heard the journalist's words, and it only caused his blood to be chilled. For although he was listening to that haunting song, his eyes were focused on the glowing marks on his lover's forehead.

His hand went up to the lace mask he wore. _No! That can't be a mask! My mask did not glow as brightly as that the first time I tried it on the dark!_

Gankutsuou felt a crawling at the back of his neck. As he looked out of the corner of his eye, it horrified him to see the shocked expression on Albert's face.

_My marks… _The entity realized the cause of the young envoy's fear. _Does he suspect…_ Even when the song drew to a tremulous close, he could not avert his eyes from Albert's startled gaze.

_:What's wrong with Albert?: _Gankutsuou heard Etienne inquire. _:Why is he staring at us like that?:_

What broke their gaze was a bold voice who spoke from the opposite end of the stage. "Well, now! Do any of you rabble-rousers still have any complaints about this fantastic performance?"

Stirred by those taunting words, one small group near the back made to raise a ruckus. A sharp pistol crack fired through the air stopped them at once. It was Luigi Vampa, Teresa and their band of merry bandits. With them were Haydee, Renaud and Peppo, who gave the surprised singer a wink and a thumbs-up.

"If anyone dares to make even a peep," Verano called out, cocking his gun menacingly, "the next bullet won't be a blank."

The man who had spoken earlier went up on stage. "I'm sure there won't be any more need for firearms, Signore." He was a jovial, portly gentleman with a thick dark beard and a balding pate.

"Hmmph!" The bandit holstered his pistol. "And I thought all Parisiens were civilized patrons of the arts, Signore Cassals."

"Well, we are," the mysterious man laughed. "Most of the time."

Lucien recognized the stranger at once. "Why…that's…"

It was Eugenie who gasped out his name. _"Ludivigo Cassals!"_

A distinguished gentleman with short graying hair joined the opera legend. Four burly security men flanked them.

Everyone in the hall stood up, as shocked murmurs of _"It's the President! It's President Poirrot!"_ rose among them.

Etienne fell to one knee as he realized that he was in the presence of France's two most powerful dignitaries. "Forgive me, Messrs. Being new to Paris, I'm afraid I did not recognize you, and I…"

Something was placed around the singer's neck. Etienne blinked down at the golden star that hung down from his neck by a crimson ribbon.

"If there is anyone here who deserves the recognition," the President of France kindly began in a voice that was loud enough to be heard by all, "it's you, Monsieur Etienne Delacroix." He turned to the audience, specifically those who had jeered the Nightingale earlier. "This young man was born to a life that was not his choice. He had nothing but his voice and his dreams to help him survive a life that would've left him broken and bitter. Despite this, he assisted the Interior Ministry in apprehending evil men who would condemn Paris' youth to a life of unwilling debauchery. This he did with no thought of the dangers to his life or the possibility that he would never be freed from the hell he was in. He was not even a French citizen, and yet he risked all for total strangers." The President's voice boomed as he railed, _"And this is how you honor a hero?"_

Cassals trained his heated gaze towards Verano, who was trying to hide behind the woman in front of him. "Signore Verano, I think I told you this before when you were still my understudy. The actions of your supporters are your responsibility. I noticed you sitting there for quite awhile and you did nothing to stop them. Many Parisiens have accused the citizens of Luna as being heathens, but what do you call this scandalous behavior? It shames me tremendously that Paris' artistes would resort to backbiting and rioting to discourage talents before they could even prove their worth to the audience. You never expected Monsieur Delacroix to take up your challenge, did you? He showed great courage by singing before an angry mob, and he silenced you all with the power of his voice and the honesty of his heart." The opera star looked at the humble young man with great pride. "Monsieur Delacroix is a true artiste, someone whom I had always aspired to be, someone that even a man of a stature and years of experience knows I could never become."

It was Penelon who began clapping, followed by Maximilien and Valentine, and his crewmates. The children not only clapped, but cheered as well. Soon, the entire hall resounded with the applause and cheers of all. Vampa and his men would have fired their guns as well in celebration if Haydee, Teresa and Peppo had not thrown them sharp warning looks. Beauchamp, Eugenie and Lucien were close to tears as they applauded the singer's success.

Only Albert remained unmoved, still staring transfixed at those marks on Etienne's brow.

The President then bent down and helped the Nightingale to his feet. "Welcome to France, Etienne my boy! You are now a citizen of this fair country. Not only that…" He glanced at Sister Bertrille and the orphans. "Ambassador DeQuervain had informed me about the imminent closure of the orphanage in Luna. After speaking with the Cardinal, we have decided that the Order will be relocated to a small parish in the heart of Paris. The good nuns shall continue to care for the unfortunates in this city. As for your little friends, many of our kind nobles have expressed their desire to adopt them. They will have homes this new year."

Tears of happiness misted Etienne's odd-colored eyes as he gazed at Sister Bertrille. Smiling, the Mother Superior blessed her beloved ward, mouthing two words, "Thank you!" Ambassador DeQuervain, who had accompanied the nun and the children and was sitting beside them, acknowledged him with an approving nod.

"Now…" Cassals gave the singer's hands an encouraging squeeze. "Wow that crowd, son!"

"Yes, Signore!" Etienne was happy to see Eugenie and the other musicians taking their places in the orchestra pit. He could hear the bustling of activity behind the curtains.

_:Are you ready, Gankutsuou?: _the singer asked, raring to go.

:Just one last thing.:

Gankutsuou whirled in Albert's direction, smiling. He raised his hand to his brow and gestured as though peeling off a mask. As he did so, he willed the marks on his forehead to gradually disappear along with the movement of his hand. As he pretended to tuck the mask in his trousers pocket, he saw the relief form on his lover's face.

Giving the President and the opera legend one final gracious bow as they descended the stage, the Nightingale of Luna swept his cloak off his shoulders, assuming the role of the valiant prostitute Aimé.

With arms outstretched, Etienne spoke the opening line of the first act. _"What are you standing around for? We have customers to entertain!"_

 

The next two hours proved to be a magical experience not only for the audience, but also for the cast as the tragic love story of the Count and Aimé unfolded on stage. At the passionate performance of the actors, the audience was swept up in the searing emotions of the Count's desire for vengeance against those who had betrayed him, all the while rooting for brave Aimé to veer him from his path of self-destruction.

Etienne proved himself not only to be an excellent singer, but a wonderful dancer as well as he performed the brothel dance sequences with sheer eroticism. Both women and men found themselves getting aroused by the way the Nightingale swayed and moved his hips with enticing, alluring grace.

One of the highlights of the opera was the part wherein Aimé revealed his true feelings for the Count and seduced him into his bed for a torrid night of passion. Conservative matrons swooned as Albert swept the Nightingale into a passionate dance, his hands caressing sundry portions of his lover's anatomy. While everyone believed it to be a mere act, only a rather irritated Etienne knew that the daring envoy had, in truth, taken liberties upon his person, much more than during their rehearsals. It had to take shrewd placements of a thigh and hand to hide the growing bulge in Albert's trousers.

There were a couple of surprises for the Nightingale as well. In the scene wherein the mysterious nobleman led the prostitute into a playful dance in the slums where he lived, the Morrel twins and the orphans climbed up on stage and sang Eugenie's modernized arrangement of'The Beautiful Blue Danube'. It delighted Etienne and Albert to see Clementine, Jacques and his little friends serenading them and dancing along with such verve and happiness.

The biggest surprise came during that heart-wrenching moment in the Count's villa when Aimé was desperately trying to convince the man he loved to abandon his quest for revenge. At first, he believed that the actor he was sharing the stage with was Monsieur Jentes. Great was his surprise when it turned out to be Albert. Unknown to the singer, Albert had been taking singing lessons so that he could sing this pivotal duet with his lover.

Lucien revealed during a quick costume change, "It was DeQuervain who insisted that he take singing lessons. 'Do that young man proud by learning how to sing well,' he said."

Those were real tears of pride that poured from Etienne's eyes as he embraced his beloved. "You were wonderful, Albert," he whispered in the envoy's ears, causing a blush to go up Albert's cheeks.

Monsieur Jentes was only too happy to relinquish the stage to Albert in the final scene wherein Aimé was tragically killed when he placed himself in the path of the bullet that the Count intended for his mortal foe. Overcome by the emotions of the scene, Albert poured his heart and soul into his song of guilt and remorse, causing copious tears to flow from the audience.

The opera ended to the roar and cheers of the audience, giving a standing ovation to the performers. The greatest applause was reserved for Etienne who made five curtain calls while confetti and rose petals rained down upon him from the rafters. He waved to the French President and Ludivigo Cassals, who were sitting in the upper box, in gratitude for their kindness. He even gave Guillermo Verano a gracious bow, which the opera star acknowledged with a bow of his own.

Backstage, hearty congratulations and embraces were exchanged before the press, with Beauchamp at the fore, converged upon them.

Somehow, Albert managed to get his lover away from the milling throng, leading him towards a dark corner near the sound booth. Laughing, he lifted Etienne up high and gave him a passionate kiss.

"You were magnificent, my love!" he told the Nightingale proudly. "You've finally made it! You're a star!"

"And it's all thanks to you, Albert, my dearest savior!" whispered Etienne as he hugged Albert happily.

So lost were the lovers in the elation and triumph they shared that they did not notice the figure that was storming their way in a flurry of crimson fur.

Suddenly, Etienne found himself wrenched away from Albert's embrace and a devastating slap bestowed upon his face. Before he knew what was happening, he was pummeled by angry punches from small fists, that he fell to his knees, covering his head with his hands to defend himself.

"DAMN YOU!" a woman shrieked in fury. "WHY HAVE YOU RETURNED? YOU SHOULD BE DEAD!"

Etienne was in shock that, at first, the struggling figure of his lover and the woman did not register to him. What brought him back to the horrific present was Albert's frantic cry.

"MOTHER, STOP IT! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Albert shouted as he held the furious woman back. He was dismayed to see the small crowd that had gathered behind them at the sudden commotion.

"Mother…?" the Nightingale gasped out, as he stared with clouding eyes at the beautiful woman that was his lover's mother.

Mercedes Herrera pointed an angry finger at the singer. _"What are you doing here? Why did you come back? Have you returned to torment us? Are you going to ruin my son's life again!? I will kill you first before you hurt my son, Edmond Dantes!"_

"MOTHER, STOP! THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Albert led his mother away, but not before hearing his lover's anguished wail to Eugenie and Lucien who came to his aid.

_"I don't understand!"_ Etienne cried, tears streaming down his handsome face_. "Who is Edmond Dantes?"_


	17. The Truth About the Nightingale

 

How could an evening of joy and triumph turn so quickly into a nightmare?

Etienne had locked himself inside his dressing room, keeping out his friends who were frantically knocking on his door and calling out his name, begging to be let in. But he could not muster up the courage to face them all, not when the sorrow and shame were battering his shredded pride.

A tear trickled down his bruised cheek. He had anticipated rejection from Albert's mother, given his unsavory background. But he never expected to be treated with so much hatred.

The angry voices outside his dressing room window only made him sink deeper into the quagmire of misery.

_"I never thought you could be such a fool, Albert! How could you allow yourself to be deceived by that man again? Have you forgotten what he had done to your friends, to US?"_

_"And I told you a thousand times, Mother, he is not Edmond Dantes! Edmond is dead!"_

_"Unlike you, I am not fooled by his act! Don't forget I was his childhood friend and fiancée! I know, Albert! I know that _that_ man you call your precious Nightingale is truly Edmond Dantes!"_

Etienne pressed his palms to his aching temples. He could imagine the fury on Mercedes Herrera's face. It was an expression he never expected to behold in that kind, gentle beauty he had once…

_Loved?_

The singer shook his head as a fleeting vision flashed through his mind.

 

Running by the shore with another young man, giving chase to a wayward hat that had been blown away by the ocean wind…

_A lovely young girl pouting at their inability to get her hat back which was now drifting away with the sea current…_

_A promise… "I'll just buy you a new hat, Mercedes."_

_An expectant smile… "Get me one just like it, Edmond."_

That name again…

Edmond Dantes….

Etienne's head went up at the sound of a hard slap.

"Don't be stubborn, Albert! I'll be waiting for you at the Paris Royale Hotel. You're coming back to Marseilles with me!"

"I am not a child that you could still order around! Don't bother waiting for me, because I won't be going to Marseilles. Hurt me all you want, Mother, but I will never forgive you if you dare to lay a finger on Etienne again!"

The quarrel between mother and son proved to be too unbearable for the Nightingale. Before he could run outside, a troubled voice stopped him.

"Etienne…"

Gankutsuou gazed back at him through the mirror, regret etched on his handsome, ageless face. "I don't want to be the cause of your unhappiness. Before any more ugly surprises spring up on you, you must know the truth.I won't keep it from you any longer. And the road to the truth should start with Madame Herrera."

"Does Albert's mother know…"

"She has knowledge of the past."

"Of Edmond Dantes?"

"Yes." Gankutsuou pressed his hand to the glass. "I had wished to spare you from the pain…"

"I've long been prepared for this. No matter how painful it may be, I must know." Etienne laid his hand over the entity's palm. "But I'm not afraid," he added, smiling, "because you'll be there with me."

"Oh, Etienne!" Gankutsuou exclaimed, with a forlorn shake of his head. "Once all this is over, I doubt if my presence would still be welcome to you."

 

A very concerned Haydee immediately met Albert. The Princess cried, "He won't open the door!"

"Bertuccio went to get the key from the manager," said Eugenie. Noticing how her ex-fiancé was looking at the empty hallway, she explained reassuringly, "You don't have to worry about the press. Beauchamp and Lucien had a firm talk with them. None of this will go out in the papers tomorrow. I guess they're also afraid because Etienne has the President's favor."

"I'm very disappointed in my mother," Albert admitted bitterly. "After what happened, I don't know if I could face him. I'm too ashamed."

"I think it's about time you told Etienne about the Count, Albert," Eugenie offered the tentative suggestion. "You can't keep this from him forever."

"What if Etienne thinks that I fell in love with him because he reminded me so much of the Count? No, I can't tell him, Eugenie, especially if it means that I might lose him!"

Haydee and Eugenie exchanged troubled glances. Making up her mind, Haydee took Albert's hand. "Albert…there's something that you should know."

"I've got the key!" Bertuccio hurried up to them before Haydee could continue.

Snatching the key out of Bertuccio's hand, Albert slid it into the lock and swiftly opened the door, only to be dismayed to find the room empty. The open window marked Etienne's escape.

 

Mercedes Herrera sat in pensive silence in her hotel suite, unconsciously wringing her right hand. She was shocked that she had struck her dearest son for the second time in both their lives.

_It's because of him, _she thought, her face darkening once more in anger. _He made my son turn against me! _Inwardly, Mercedes felt no shame for her scandalous behavior at the opera house. _If it means driving him out of my son's life, then I have no regrets._

A small nagging voice inside her heart suddenly inquired, _Are you being true to yourself when you say that?_

Before she could silence her berating conscience, there were two soft knocks on her door.

"Albert? Is that you, son?" Mercedes exclaimed in relief, as she ran to the door, flinging it wide open. "Albert!"

A shocked gasp was elicited from her lips, seeing the young man she despised standing outside.

Mercedes was about to slam the door in his face, but Etienne immediately stopped its closure with his hand. "Please, Madame! Don't send me away!" he begged despairingly. "I must speak with you!"

"You and I have nothing to talk about!" Mercedes declared heatedly. "All I want to hear from your lips, Edmond, is that you will leave Albert alone!"

"That's what I want to know, Madame!" the Nightingale insisted, a fat tear rolling down his cheek. "I must know who Edmond Dantes is! Is he also the Count of Monte Cristo? Everyone's been telling me that I look like him." The singer hesitantly revealed, "I…I have no memory of my past. All I know is that my former employer found me barely alive. He never mentioned the exact circumstances of how he had found me. I only assumed that it was in Luna, but… I'm begging you, Madame! I do not wish to cause Albert any more heartbreak, but if I am to comply with your demands, all I ask in exchange is that you give me the truth."

Although suspicious of the young man before her, the urge to see him gone from Albert's life was stronger. Grudgingly, Mercedes let him inside, waving him to the armchair before her. As Etienne settled into his seat, so too did she sit as well, and looked the Nightingale straight in the eyes.

"Edmond Dantes was my fiancé," Mercedes told the attentive Nightingale. "On the day of our engagement, he was arrested for assassinating the prince. In truth, he was innocent of the crime. Three men saw him as a threat to their ambitions, especially since he was privy to a secret document that was entrusted to him by his captain to deliver to someone in Paris. The first was Baron Danglars, Eugenie's father, whom Edmond discovered was embezzling money from the shipping company of Morrel et Fils. The second was Chief Justice Gerard de Villefort, whose name was listed among the conspirators in that secret document. The third was Fernand Mondego, who was a close friend of Edmond's. His reasons were personal. He envied his friend's success and was secretly in love with his fiancée. With Edmond imprisoned, nothing stopped him from rising up the ranks in the military and marrying his friend's fiancée. He took the name of Morcerf, pretending to be of noble birth. Fernand was my husband and Albert our son."

Etienne was stunned by what he was hearing. Timidly, he ventured to ask, "What became of Edmond?"

"Edmond was imprisoned at the Chateau D'If for ten years," was Mercedes solemn reply. "I could only imagine the unspeakable sufferings that he endured in that horrible place. The only thing that drove him to survive was the desire for vengeance. While there, he made a pact with a demon named Gankutsuou. Through this demon's help, Edmond somehow miraculously escaped from the prison and was given immeasurable wealth and power, which he used to plot against those who had caused his torment. He became the man known as the Count of Monte Cristo."

The Nightingale gasped in shock at this disclosure.

"For the next fifteen years, Edmond planned it perfectly. He knew my son would be vacationing in Luna with his best friend, Baron Franz d'Epinay," Mercedes continued. "In order to capture my innocent son's heart, he had Albert kidnapped by a band of bandits and pretended to rescue him. To show his gratitude for his so-called 'savior', Albert invited him to Paris. He took residence at No. 30 Champs-Elysees where he put his elaborate scheme of vengeance into motion."

"Edmond brought about the collapse of Baron Danglars' financial empire. The Baron himself was never found. Although many believed that he had simply escaped from his creditors, I know that Edmond had killed him. Chief Justice Villefort's career was ruined by a horrific scandal. His wife Heloise, you see, had been trying to poison Villefort's daughter by his first wife, Valentine, using a Borgia ring that was a gift to her by Edmond. Villefort made the mistake of confronting Edmond and shooting him, and was later convicted of attempting to assassinate the Count of Monte Cristo. But he never got to serve time in prison. Villefort is presently in an asylum in Paris, made mad by a drug that was injected into his bloodstream by the illegitimate son he had buried alive at birth – Benedetto or Andrea Cavalcanti as he was known back then."

"Benedetto!" Etienne could not stop himself from crying out, surprising Mercedes. Blushing in embarrassment, he admitted to her, "He…It was Benedetto who had found me, Madame. He was my…employer." He clutched the lapel of his shirt, crushing it tightly as he remembered the terrible things that the rogue did to him.

Mercedes gazed at the young man before her, and pity filled her heart, seeing his tense, flustered form. She had read about Etienne's life at the brothel.

"Benedetto…" the singer began, trembling. "He told me that he had violated Eugenie."

"Yes, he had. His own sister, because their mother was Victoria Danglars," Mercedes sadly confirmed. "He almost married Eugenie, if it were not for Peppo's stalling the wedding and Albert's getting her out in time. Lucien had him arrested, but he escaped during the siege of Paris."

"I don't want to cause you pain, Madame, but your husband… What became of Albert's father?"

At that query, her hands closed into tight fists on her lap as she struggled to find the words to continue her story. "I told you that Fernand became a high-ranking general in the army. I never knew that he earned that position by killing the King of Janina and selling his wife and daughter to slavers. Edmond bought Ali Tebelin's daughter Haydee and used her to expose my husband's treachery."

Etienne was aghast by that revelation. "Are you telling me that Haydee knows…"

"Yes, she does, that is why I was surprised that you did not hear this story from her. To continue, Fernand sought to gain power by attacking Paris. When I refused to join him in his quest, he shot me, as well as Albert. Learning that Edmond was the cause of his downfall, he challenged his former friend to a duel at the ruins of the Champs-Elysees mansion. But it was Albert who brought an end to that duel by purging the demon that possessed Edmond. As for Fernand, the guilt of what he had done to his friend and family prompted him to take his own life."

"And Edmond…"

"Albert told me that he too died that day, when the broken tip of Franz's sword that was embedded in his chest, finally plunged into his heart. Franz, you see, took Albert's place in a duel when my son discovered about the Count's treachery. Edmond even made me witness the duel, and I believed that it was Albert being butchered inside that suit of armor. I later discovered that Albert was alive, but still, I could never forget Franz' terrible death. Franz, however, had managed to score a strike that proved fatal to Edmond in the end." Mercedes suddenly exclaimed, "After all the horrible things that had happened, I thought that Edmond _was _dead. But then you came and I… You can deny it all you want! I know that you _are_ Edmond Dantes! I have known Edmond since childhood. Your voice, your mannerisms, your demeanor… _It's exactly the same as his!_"

Tears were streaming down Etienne's cheeks. He wanted to deny the woman's accusations, but he too was getting very confused. It certainly did not help any that visions were suddenly flashing through his mind like strobe lights, scenes from the terrible past that Mercedes had just narrated to him.

Mercedes leaped from her seat and gripped Etienne's shoulders, shaking him hard. _"Why did you come back? Haven't you ruined my son's life enough? How much suffering do we have to take until you are satisfied?"_

"UNHAND ME!"

A strong hand swatted Mercedes' hands away. She gaped in horror at the pink marks that blazed up on the singer's forehead.

"Oh my God!" Mercedes gasped. "The demon! Then you are…"

"You selfish woman!" Gankutsuou could no longer stop himself from railing at her. "All you talk about is your sufferings! Your pain! But have you ever thought about what he went through? I know, Madame, because this so-called 'demon' took all of your Edmond's pain! I tried to heal the darkness inside his heart, tried to steer him away from the path of vengeance! But it's not solely revenge that drove him on. _It was you!_ Edmond loved you, and yet you did not wait for him and, instead, married the man who had betrayed him! I was powerless against a broken heart! If you had only waited for Edmond to return, none of this would've have happened!"

At that tirade, Mercedes found herself sinking down into her seat, guilt-stricken. "I would've waited for Edmond. But I…I was too lonely. His father told me that I should not wait any longer. And Fernand was always there for me. But even if I had married Fernand, Edmond was always in my heart!"

"That may be so, but it does not change the fact that you had betrayed him!" Gankutsuou muttered between gritted teeth, "Did you know that your husband raped Edmond in Auteuil? He may have loved you, but Fernand had been harboring lustful thoughts about Edmond right from the beginning! Even if Edmond was in the guise of the Count, Fernand took advantage of him…because he reminded him so much of the Edmond Dantes he had known in the past!"

Mercedes was shocked by that revelation. Despite herself, detestation filled her heart at the man she had chosen to marry over the one she truly loved. Not only had Fernand destroyed Edmond's life, he had also taken the only precious thing that was left to him.

"What are you going to do with me?" Mercedes asked in resignation. "Do you plan to kill me? Then do it now! But I beg you to spare my son!"

"I did not come to cause any more trouble for you, but I will not lie that it is Albert who is the true reason for my return."

"What do you mean? I don't understand."

"Before Edmond died, he had a wish, a wish that I shared with him, since we were of one body, mind and heart. If it were possible for him to be reborn again, he would want to spend his new life with your son." Seeing those stunned brown eyes staring back at him, Gankutsuou confirmed, "Yes, Madame. Edmond had fallen in love with Albert. In my case, Albert reminded me of someone I had loved deeply a thousand years ago. I only realized recently that your son was my love reborn in this era. Since Edmond and I found it unthinkable to be without Albert, I decided to use my powers to fulfill our wish."

Mercedes' right hand went up to her parted lips as she gasped out, "Then are you saying that you are…"

A kind, albeit weary smile formed on that handsome face which Mercedes had seen many times in the man she once loved. "Yes, Mercedes. I am Edmond Dantes."

 

A furious Albert barged through the door of his mother's hotel suite. He saw her sitting in the parlor, her face buried in her hands.

"Mother! Where's Etienne?" Albert demanded. "And don't you lie to me! The concierge told me that he had been here. What have you done to him?"

Mercedes lifted her head, showing her beautiful face that was drenched with her tears.

"I'm sorry, Albert," Mercedes sobbed. "Please forgive me for what I've done. I've always blamed him for everything that's happened, but it's actually all my fault. How many times do I have to hurt him?"

Albert's heart thundered in his chest as he got down on his knees before his mother. Gripping her arms, he asked, "What are you talking about, Mother? And where's Etienne? Please don't tell me that you drove him away! I…I love him, Mother! I don't know how I could live without him!"

"And he loves you, my son. So much more than when he loved me in the past. Don't make the mistake of losing him, like I had done."

"What are you saying, Mother? You're confusing me! Please tell me where Etienne is!"

Mercedes suddenly cupped Albert's flushed face in her hands. What she said next caused the blood to drain from his cheeks.

"He'll be at No. 30 Champs-Elysees, Albert, waiting for you," his mother whispered tenderly. Your precious Nightingale…Your beloved Count of Monte Cristo…Edmond Dantes…."

 

While mother and son were talking, Etienne had already broken into No. 30 Champs-Elysees and was descending into the bowels of the mansion via the elevator. The door opened and the Nightingale stepped into the golden domain of the Count of Monte Cristo.

With Gankutsuou pointing the way out to him, the singer soon found himself in a portion of the cavernous catacombs that were no longer touched due to the large amount of debris. Climbing over a small hill of brick and dirt, he saw the half-buried remains of a huge golden eye. The eye itself was hollow, its interior lined with remnants of gossamer pink threads.

_:Are you ready, Edmond?: _the entity asked the singer.

Etienne found it strange and a bit disconcerting to be called by that name. But the exchange between Mercedes Herrera and Gankutsuou already confirmed that he was this enigmatic avenger. The only thing left for him to do was to learn the rest of the truth.

His answer to Gankutsuou's question was a simple nod as he stepped into the eye, curling up into a ball. The pink threads wrapped around his form. The eye shone with a golden light as the memory restoration process was initiated…

_A dark bedchamber in a villa located in the remote forest of Auteuil where a poor nobleman had just been violated by the man he once called friend…_

_Gankutsuou standing on a balcony blanketed by a starry night sky, caressing his lower belly where Fernand Mondego's seed had taken root. Although his present form was that of an amorphous creature, a being of spirit, he possessed the characteristics of both male and female, and self-procreation was something that his ever-mutating cells could accomplish._

_A smiling boy's face flashed through the entity's mind. "Let some good come out of the evil that you had sown, Fernand Mondego."_

_Then, a terrible duel that cut short the life of a brave boy…A sword breaking before it could reach its mark…The entity's futile attempt to seize control of Edmond's mind before that long blade could be buried into the boy's body…_

_"I'm so sorry, Franz," Gankutsuou wept, his anguish mirroring that of the man whose body he shared, realizing that they had just slaughtered an innocent. "I'm so sorry!"_

_A bloody hand caressed his face. "I forgive you...Gankutsuou" Was that a smile on Franz's lips? "I promise…I'll be watching over you…Edmond…and Albert…."_

_Another duel…A bitter confrontation between two former friends that nearly led to the deaths of two more innocents…A wounded but brave Albert berating the conscience of the avenger…_

_Not wanting a repeat of the earlier tragedy, Gankutsuou used Edmond's momentary indecision to take control. _

_"Would you kill this boy whom you claim to love with all your heart?" he shouted furiously at the confused avenger._

_It was easy to turn around and walk away. But Albert had run after him and blocked his path. As their eyes met, feral mismatched eyes gazing into fear-filled blue orbs, it was only then that Gankutsuou realized that this boy saw him as a monster, but a monster he had learned to love. _

_"Do you understand my friend's heart?" the entity asked the boy in deep sorrow._

_"No, but…" Gankutsuou heard the unspoken continuation to Albert's reply. _:…I understand mine.:

_It was Albert's loving kiss upon his cheek that drove human and possessor into the very depths of guilt and despair. But vengeance continued to burn inside Edmond's heart even if this desire has left him vulnerable and mortal._

_As Edmond raised his pistol one last time, Gankutsuou cried out, "No Edmond! No more!"_

_Tender mercy came in the form of the tip of Franz's sword that suddenly drove into Edmond's wounded heart. With a scream of agony, Edmond fell to the ground, dying in a pool of his own blood. His ice-cold hand was enfolded in a warm grasp. The pain of seeing Albert's bright blue eyes clouded with tears was too unbearable._

_A fervent promise…"For you, even if I am seized by the grip of despair, I will survive as you had done, Count," Albert had sobbed out to him._

_"Remember my name…Edmond Dantes," Edmond had told Albert with his dying breath._

_Even when Albert had shrouded him with his black cloak, Edmond's consciousness continued to hang on to the remaining dregs of life still left to him._

:I don't want to die, Gankutsuou. It's too soon,:_ Edmond whispered to the entity he knew still dwelled inside his body. _:I don't want to be parted from this dear boy who had brought light back into the darkness of my life.:

:It is in my power to grant your rebirth, Edmond,: Gankutsuou offered then, showing to the lonely mortal the seed he had preserved. :Do you wish to be reborn?

:Yes, do it. But purge me of all the memories and the bitter emotions that had made me the monster that I am now. If it is willed by a Higher Power that I should be reunited with Albert, I want to start anew with him. Can you give me that my friend?:

:Yes, my dear Edmond. I can.:

:Another wish, Gankutsuou. I wish you to be with me. Let the both of us be reborn.: _Edmond had given the entity a gentle smile. _:I've seen what's inside your heart, good friend, and I know you love Albert as much as I do.:

:I'm afraid I could only grant your first wish. I do not have enough genetic materials to create a body that could lodge two conscious beings.:

A loving kiss upon their lips followed by a shocked gasp caught their waning attention. As if in answer to their unspoken prayers, a voice they never expected to hear whispered, "Edmond, you're still alive, but barely."

:Fernand…:

_"Take what you need from me, O Great Ruler of the Cave," Fernand Mondego offered as he raised his gun to his temple. "Let this be my way of making amends." Then, a pistol shot rang out, marking the one true noble sacrifice of a sinner._

_It dismayed Edmond that he could no longer shed a tear for his friend._

_As the mansion began crumbling all around them, Gankutsuou told the still warm corpse of the general, "Your death shall not be wasted, Fernand Mondego.:_

_The entity gathered all the genetic materials he needed from the bodies of the two friends, encoding it into the seed. Assuming the form of a glowing ball of pink light, he emerged from Edmond's body, bearing the seed with him and carrying it to the fallen golden eye that was to serve as its cradle. To further protect the precious seed, Gankutsuou wrapped it and himself within an elaborate cocoon made of pulsing pink threads. Even when the mansion finally collapsed, the entity and the seed remained safe in their shelter._

_With his great powers, Gankutsuou guided the swiftly growing child's physical development. He also nurtured it with the knowledge it would need for the new life ahead, at the same time removing all the bitter memories, storing them as bits of data within the threads of the cocoon. Among the gifts that the entity had specially given to the child were a beautiful singing voice and a name._

_"You shall make people happy with your sweet voice," Gankutsuou had whispered to his child, who was now, in three months time, the size and appearance of a nine-year-old boy. "You are my precious Nightingale, Etienne Delacroix."_

_The care of the growing boy, however, took its toll upon Gankutsuou that, by the beginning of the seventh month, he had succumbed at last to exhaustion. Before he curled up into his now fifteen-year-old child's psyche, he kissed Etienne on the brow and simply ordered, "Wake up!"_

_At that command, the Nightingale opened his eyes. Realizing to his horror that he had been buried alive, Etienne was seized by panic and he tore out of his cocoon, digging through rock and dirt with his fingers._

_"Help!" Etienne would often cry out. "Somebody help me!"_

_Even when his strength threatened to give up on him, he would not stop digging. He swore he would not die in this accursed place._

_When Etienne finally broke through the surface, the first thing he saw was an artificial sky of blue and gold with multi-colored stars. As he reached through the hole he had made, a strong hand seized his wrist and pulled him out of his womb of gold._

_Without the entity or his past memories to guide him, the Nightingale had no idea that his savior was a rogue and a plunderer, who would condemn him to a life of debauchery for the next seven years._

_The final image was of Andrea Cavalcanti grinning down at him, with lust shining in his eyes. "So you are alive, Count! Or should I say…Edmond Dantes!"_

 

It was near dawn when a despondent figure stumbled out of the gates of No. 30 Champs-Elysees. Edmond Dantes fell to his knees at the weight of the memories that had been restored to him.

"Oh God! It's true!" he began to weep bitterly. "It's all true!"

_:I'm so sorry, Edmond,: _Gankutsuou apologized profusely. _:The last thing I wanted was for you to go through this much pain and sorrow again.:_

"What's going to happen to us now, Gankutsuou? After this, Albert will no longer want us."

:If he loves you, Edmond, he will want you back with him. And I have no doubt that he will never betray you as his mother had done. However, he would not want me inside you. He believes me to be the one who had influenced you to pursue vengeance. Don't worry. I've taken the steps necessary to ensure our permanent separation.:

"What are you talking about? What did you do?"

"You made the right decision, Gankutsuou, my friend!"

Edmond whirled to see Andrea Cavalcanti getting down from his car. Sitting inside, waiting, was the voodoo priestess Marie Laveau.

:No, Gankutsuou! You didn't! No, I won't allow…:

Gankutsuou, however, silenced Edmond's weary consciousness with the might of his will. :Forgive me, Edmond,: he whispered, feeling Edmond fall into deep slumber.

"Shall we go, Gankutsuou?" Andrea asked invitingly, extending a hand to him.

The entity was about to reach for that hand when a familiar voice made him pause.

"Don't do it, Edmond! Please don't go with him!"

Gankutsuou turned to see Albert standing at the street corner, panting for breath. 

"Albert…" the entity whispered his beloved's name. As he looked closely at his lover, superimposing over Albert's form was the image of another young man who looked just like him, but dressed in a white tunic and tight trousers. A man who had loved and protected him in the past. 

With a weary sigh, Gankutsuou willed the pink marks to glow on his forehead. It did not surprise him to see the fear form on Albert's face.

"It's all right, Albert. You'll be getting your beloved Edmond back. I promise," Gankutsuou reassured the young man he had learned to love. "I must do this first. I don't want to cause any pain for the two of you anymore." Saying this, he took Andrea's hand.

Albert was jolted into action by that gesture, running towards the car. "No, don't go with him! Please!"

But it was too late. Gankutsuou swiftly got inside the car and Andrea closed the door just as Albert reached them. Albert tried tugging on the door latch, but it was locked on the inside. As the car pulled away from the curb, Albert ran with it, pounding on the glass and shouting, _"Don't go! Please don't leave me!"_

The car sped up as they wheeled away from the crying figure. Broken-hearted, Gankutsuou could not bear to look back.

"Goodbye, Albert!" the entity whispered, burying his face in his hands as his tears began to flow.


	18. Torn Asunder

 

Gankutsuou was not aware that he had fallen asleep until he heard the sound of singing, those beautiful voices distant and echoing. He was about to sit up when he was pushed back down on a lap clad in a soft cotton skirt, smelling of sweet tobacco and incense. Gentle fingers glided through his hair.

_:Be still, little demon, and rest some more,:_ an uncharacteristically kind voice spoke inside his head. _:There is nothing of interest for you to see here.:_

Despite that warning, Gankutsuou dared to open his eyes, only to be horrified by the sight of skeletons sitting on moss-covered blocks of stone with their backs against the wall. In the light of the gas lamp, the entity could see that the skeletons were that of a family – the parents holding their child in a loving embrace. It was very obvious that the poor family simply sat down and waited for their end to come.

Gankutsuou quickly squeezed his eyes shut, clapping his hands over his ears, as images of the distant past flashed before his eyes.

The determined faces of two handsome young men… _"We won't let you die, Gankutsuou!"_

There was a sarcastic chuckle. _:Unbelievable that so many would choose to die in order to protect you. Don't they know the evil creature that you are?:_

_:STOP IT!:_

Gankutsuou gasped as strong arms wrapped around his trembling form. Opening his eyes once more, he found himself in the dark chamber of his mind, held by an angry Edmond who was glaring at the woman who dared to intrude into the psyche they shared.

_:Just who the hell are you to judge him like this?: _Edmond roared at the solemn figure of Marie Laveau. _:How do you know he is evil when you have not shared his mind and heart as I have?:_

_:You are right, I don't,: _Marie surprisingly agreed with him. _:And what I have seen confuses me. This…self-sacrifice…it contradicts the image of you that my ancestors have impressed upon me.:_

_:Laveau…: _Gankutsuou called out to the voodoo priestess. _:Will there be…pain?:_

_:Perhaps the most agonizing you will ever experience in your very long life.: _Marie added thoughtfully, _:But you seem prepared for it. Strange. I must…observe further: _With that last, she vanished from their sight, although they could still feel her insidious presence close by.

_:What is the meaning of this, Gankutsuou?: _Edmond demanded, no longer caring that Laveau could hear his thoughts. _:Why did you contact Andrea? Please don't tell me that you're still thinking of separating yourself from my body?:_

_:After the things you've seen, all the unhappiness that I have caused you,: _Gankutsuou asked in despair, _:are you telling me that you still wish for me to remain a part of you?:_

_:YES, I DO!: _Edmond emphasized this with a desperate embrace that left the entity breathless. _:You're part of me. I would be bereft without you.:_

_:You have Albert. You don't need me interfering in your life.:_

_:How long are you going to continue making these sacrifices for others at the expense of your happiness? I've seen your past, Gankutsuou. I know who you truly are. Are you going to give up when the love you've long searched for is within your reach? If you go through with this insanity, there is no coming back for you! Your powers, your immortality, your soul… Your very existence will be obliterated from this world!:_

_:I'VE MADE MY DECISION! DON'T INTERFERE!:_

"BE QUIET!"

A hard slap fell on Gankutsuou's cheek, jolting him back to consciousness. For a while, Edmond struggled for control, but the entity pushed his presence back into a dark corner of his mind and sealed him in.

Andrea sneered down at Gankutsuou, who sat beside the voodoo priestess in the rowboat. "Is Edmond being a pain in the ass again? Really! He should learn to stop butting into other people's business."

"Where are we?" the entity asked nervously, eyeing his dark surroundings. It horrified him to see more skeletons and bones scattered around.

"The catacombs, of course," Andrea answered in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "To be exact, we are right under the Paris Opera House."

Gankutsuou winced, feeling Edmond pounding against the barrier inside his head.

The rogue clucked his tongue at the sight of the entity's discomfort. "Oh, that Edmond is really such a bother. Then again, it's your fault he's like that. It's a trait he got from you after all. But of course, I guess you already know that. Edmond was that part of you that you had released so that you could be free to wreak vengeance upon those bastards who slaughtered your worshippers a thousand years ago."

Gankutsuou trained his startled eyes towards that maniacal figure. "What…do you mean?"

In answer, an ancient scroll was tossed onto the entity's lap. For a long while, Gankutsuou just stared down at it, afraid to touch the faded parchment.

Andrea ignored the entity's distress and waved to their surroundings. "Doesn't this remind you of your old home, O Great Ruler of the Cavern? Did you know that when the city was gripped by a terrible epidemic, those who could not afford the expensive medicines came down here to die? It was like heaven to them, these catacombs. Imagine dying to the voices of angels up above. Isn't that what you did as well? I heard that you sang to comfort your worshippers as they were being massacred by the King's soldiers."

Gankutsuou hesitated for a moment and then he reached for the scroll on his lap. A mere brush of his fingertips on the parchment and, at once, those unwanted memories flooded into his mind with vivid clarity –

_A maze of caverns lit by the golden glow of torches._

_Helpless men, women and children screaming his name as they were brutally cut down by soldiers._

_Two young men with very familiar faces, his blue hands held in their cold grip, as they desperately tried to lead him away from the carnage._

_"We won't let them get you, Gankutsuou!" the man with Franz's kind features said to him._

_The other man, who looked like Albert, gave him a reassuring smile. "Because we love you!"_

Gankutsuou clapped his hands over his ears as his tears began to flow. Those two men had died protecting him. He remembered the anger that rose up from the depths of his being; an alien emotion that he was not permitted to feel. Since his very nature forbade him from spilling blood, he had shed away that one thing that prevented him from getting the vengeance he so craved.

_:Yes, Gankutsuou,: _Edmond whispered to him in confirmation. _:I am your heart restored to you.:_

The entity was stunned by that revelation, and the repercussions that it implied. "By the gods above! What have I done?" Gankutsuou exclaimed in horror.

Andrea saw the expression on the entity's face. "Yes, my poor friend. When you were reunited with your heart-turned-human at the Chateau d'If, you have allowed the darkness inside you to consume it, fueling Edmond's despair into a raging blaze for revenge. With the blood of those who suffered at your hands, you became a tainted being. Now the only way you can purge yourself of the taint is to find a new shell to inhabit."

"What are talking about?" Marie demanded, confused by what she was hearing. "He is a demon! A creature of evil! My ancestors said so!"

The rowboat gave a slight rock as it hit the bank. They found themselves in a torch-lit domed amphitheater guarded by armed men. The voices of the singers in the Paris Opera House above resonated throughout the chamber.

"Your ancestors were fools!" Andrea spat at the bewildered voodoo priestess' face. "They only listened to the rumors that originated from that lowly asteroid. Your great great grandfather never knew what it was that he had captured in Monte Cristo." The rogue reached down and dug his fingers into Gankutsuou's tresses. "Here! Let me show you!"

Gankutsuou stumbled as he was hauled out of the boat. As the rogue dragged him towards the amphitheater, he was horrified to see the two circles drawn on the stone floor. In the center of the circles were inverted pentagrams in which were written ancient incantations.

"Andrea, no!" the entity cried as he struggled to tear his hair free from that fierce grip. "You don't know what you're doing!"

"Oh, but I do know!" Andrea declared as he drew closer and closer towards the circles. "No other person is more appropriate and more willing to be your vessel than yours truly! Immortality, power and riches beyond my wildest dreams shall be mine!"

"But you're a tainted vessel yourself!" Gankutsuou argued. He gazed back at the bewildered voodoo priestess following behind them. "Laveau, please listen to me! The millennium of evil that is contained inside my heart and soul must be purged first before my essence could be transferred into another body! You don't know what it could do to him! He will become the very demon that you fear!"

"Benedetto…" Marie dared to approach the rogue. "I don't think we should go through with this, not until we learn more and…"

"Say no more, woman!" Andrea shouted as he slapped her in the face, sending her sprawling to the floor. A most wicked smile formed on his lips. "I have long been prepared to become the Devil himself, if it means attaining the power that has long been denied me!" He looked down at the entity. "Now, go and become a part of me!"

With a powerful shove, Andrea forced Gankutsuou into one circle while taking his place in the other. At once, red light rose from the circle underneath the entity's feet, enveloping him in a fiery aura. A scream of agony was wrenched from Gankutsuou's lips, as his essence was slowly being torn from his human host and transferred into the laughing rogue's frame. Worse, he could sense the evil he had absorbed surge up out of his heart, eager to be joined with the mad soul that was to be their new vessel. With them, they took the entity's immortality, and discarded the goodness that still remained together with his used up mortal shell. Already, he could feel his life gradually ebbing.

Marie Laveau watched in growing alarm as a many-eyed being glowing a malevolent pink was pulled out of the poor human, leaping into Andrea's form. What stunned her more was the most beautiful blue creature with wings of onyx that it was dragging along with it.

"Oh my God!" the voodoo priestess gasped out in her shock. "He is…an angel?"

To her shock, she saw that the poor creature was turning deathly pale, much whiter than the mortal body he was being pulled out of. As Marie looked on, he was gradually fading away.

"NO! I WON'T LET YOU DIE!"

The voodoo priestess gaped, aghast, as a sun-darkened hand closed around the winged creature's wrist, refusing to let go. With her 'other' sight, Marie saw Edmond sharing with the entity both living cells from his body and his life force to prevent its dissipation.

"STOP IT!" Marie could no longer stop herself from crying out in warning. "IF YOU CONTINUE, THE TWO OF YOU WILL PERISH!"

"EDMOND, LET ME GO!" Gankutsuou shouted, trying to get his hand free, but Edmond would not release him.

It was Marie who decided to act. Chanting a spell, she raised a glowing white shell around the entity, cutting off the link between Gankutsuou and Andrea first.

Edmond saw the glowing barrier reaching up to their joined hands. Pulling a startled Gankutsuou into his embrace, Edmond gave him a passionate kiss. For a brief second, Marie thought she saw a tiny golden ball of light pass from Edmond's lips into the entity's mouth.

"Protect him," Edmond then whispered. To whom the human said it, Marie did not know.

With an anguished cry, Gankutsuou pushed Edmond from him, causing the human to topple outside the circle. Marie noted that all trace of the entity's exotic features had vanished from Edmond's face. He had returned to his original, mortal form.

The same could not be said for Andrea. The rogue's face had changed into a grotesque pink mask with six glowing golden eyes. Their malevolent gaze was focused on the human kneeling on the floor.

"RUN, EDMOND! GO NOW!" Gankutsuou shouted, seeing pink tendrils exuding from Andrea's fingertips.

Edmond hesitated, gazing at the entity who remained trapped within the circle. "No, I won't leave you!" he cried, shaking his head stubbornly.

Those long tendrils snaked out and wrapped around Edmond's wrists. It was Marie who came forward, cutting those arms with a ceremonial dagger.

"You must escape!" the voodoo priestess roared at him. "There is nothing you can do for him now!"

"But I can't…"

Tears were streaming down Gankutsuou's face. "Edmond…please tell Albert that I'm so sorry for everything that I've done to him. And that…I will always love him."

"GANKUTSUOU!"

Andrea roared to his terrified henchmen. "GET HIM! DON'T LET HIM ESCAPE!"

Before Edmond knew what was happening, Marie's hand whipped out, pushing him hard and causing him to fall into the water behind him. The last thing he saw as he swam beneath the lapping waves of the river was Andrea's hideous face gazing down into the water.

 

"I have the entire Paris police force and my men combing the city," Lucien reported to his worried friends who were gathered in the parlor. "So far, no word. It seems like they disappeared without a trace."

"What about the airport? The sea?" Beauchamp suggested. "They could escape through those routes."

The Interior Ministry Chief Secretary shook his head. "No one fitting Andrea's or Edmond's description passed through the checkpoints. I have no doubt they're still in the city. But where they are…"

"I've also asked Bertuccio and Baptistin to join in the search, together with Vampa's men and Maximilien's crew." Haydee could not stop her tears from falling. "Oh, where could they be?"

Eugenie drew the princess into her comforting embrace, although she too was crying. "They'll find him. I know they will."

As they talked, Albert sat silently on the couch, his hands clasped together as if in prayer, forehead pressed on his thumbs. A tear trickled from his chin as his lips parted to breath out a sob.

Hearing her son's choked sob, Mercedes sat down beside him and put her arms around him. "Things will be all right, son. You'll see."

"What if Benedetto had already escaped from Paris with Edmond?" Albert's lips trembled as he spoke. "How are we going to find him then? For all we know, Edmond could be dead by now."

Mercedes was stunned by her son's words. Cupping his face in her hands, she forced Albert to look at her. "Don't you ever say that, Albert! I will not have you make the same mistake that I had! Didn't Edmond tell you…'Wait and hope'? You must believe that he will return to you." She strongly added, "I believe in Gankutsuou. He will not let Edmond come to any harm. He helped Edmond escape from the Chateau d'If. Gankutsuou will free him from Benedetto's clutches."

"Gankutsuou…" Albert whispered the name of the entity that shared his beloved's body. "Can I truly trust him, Mother? After all the things you told me, I still find it hard to believe that he could be…kind…"

"We were all wrong about him, my son," Mercedes said with an approving nod. "After speaking with him, I had no doubt that he is a gentle being. He is not the evil creature that we thought him to be. And…he loved you so much that he worked a miracle by allowing Edmond to be reborn as your precious Nightingale."

"I'm so confused, Mother, and afraid." Albert breathed in deeply as he admitted, "If we find Edmond, he and Gankutsuou will still be sharing one body. I don't know…if the person I had fallen in love with is Edmond. It might be…Gankutsuou…"

"Did you at any time feel that they were two separate beings inhabiting one body?"

"No, but…"

"Gankutsuou revealed to me that there was a time when Edmond forced him to become the dominant entity for several days. I believe it was during that period after you had taken him to the opera house for the first time. Do you remember that?"

Albert nodded. "Yes. Edmond was very depressed back then, and I didn't know why."

"That was Gankutsuou, Albert. He and Edmond had a little disagreement, you see. And, yet, you were worried about him."

"I was worried about Edmond, Mother, not…" Albert stopped at once as he realized what his mother was struggling to explain to him.

Mercedes smiled. "You couldn't tell the difference, son, because Edmond and Gankutsuou are one and the same person. Tell me, Albert. Why should it matter who between the two of them you should love when they both share one heart that loves you deeply?"

Valentine was listening quietly to the exchange between mother and son, nodding in approval with everything that Mercedes had said. After all, she had been the first to know about the true nature of Gankutsuou. Somehow, she found herself gazing outside the window, and she gasped, seeing the forlorn figure standing in front of the gates.

Whirling, Valentine cried out, "ALBERT!"

 

Edmond stood wet and shivering before the gates of Albert's estate. He slowly raised his hand to the doorbell, but quickly drew it back, closing it into a fist.

"What am I doing?" he asked in despair. "What right do I have to ask for their help after all the things that I have done to them? And poor Gankutsuou! They believe him to be a demon. I cannot impose upon their kindness to ask for their aid to help free a creature that they believe is evil."

Feeling miserable, Edmond turned around and started to walk away. He had taken several steps away from the estate when the clanging of the gates caught his attention.

"Edmond…Gankutsuou…Please, don't go!" It was Albert.

"It's only me, Albert. Edmond. Gankutsuou…he…Andrea removed him from my body." Edmond whirled to face his lover. "I made a mistake in coming here, but I don't have anywhere else to go. No one to run to and ask for help. Albert, I know you hate Gankutsuou. I know that you also hate me for ruining your life." He dropped down to his knees as tears began to stream down his cheeks. "I have no right to ask you this, but I'm begging you. Please help me get Gankutsuou back. I feel so lost without him. I know that, without Gankutsuou, I'm going to die and…"

Edmond's breath was caught in his throat as Albert drew him into a possessive embrace.

"Say no more, Edmond." Albert then said firmly, "I swear to you. I will do everything in my power to bring you and Gankutsuou back together again."


End file.
